The Roadrunners baseball team played 10 games at the Matt Russ Tournament in Winter Haven, Fla. over spring break and came home with six wins and four losses over a week of baseball action from March 14-21.
Senior pitcher Walker Larson said that the defensive effort made by this year’s senior class has helped the Roadrunners find success early this season.
“We have a great group of seniors this year and play tremendous defense, so it’s a huge boost of confidence having those guys behind me when I throw,” said Larson.
The Roadrunners most convincing wins at the Russ Matt Tournament came though solid defensive efforts, including a 9-1 victory against Springfield College on March 15, and a 2-0 shutout of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on March 20.
Senior pitcher Tom Portesy pitched every inning of the Roadrunners shutout win against University of Wisconsin-La Crosse while only giving up three hits while throwing for eight strikeouts.
The Roadrunners started off the tournament with a 6-3 win against Wheaton College on March 14, extending their winning streak to three games to start the season.
They would extend the streak to five wins the next day with two victories in a doubleheader against Springfield College. They earned a 14-2 decision in the first game before coming away with a 9-1 win in the second game of the day.
However, the next day, the streak would end as the Roadrunners fell 5-3 to UMass Dartmouth. The Roadrunners were able to bounce back in a big way the next day with a 22-9 win in a slugfest against Trinity College on March 17.
They continued winning the next day with another offensive outburst in a 9-3 win against Western New England University but would fall to Eastern Connecticut State the next day 11-6.
On March 20, the Roadrunners split a doubleheader with University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. After winning the first game 2-0, the Roadrunners fell 8-4 in the second game of the day.
The Roadrunners wrapped up their trip with a 5-4 loss to Benedictine University in a close game on March 21. After entering the sixth inning with a 3-2 lead, the Roadrunners surrendered three runs in the top of the sixth and could not come back.
After the trip, the Roadrunners’ overall record stands at 8-4 overall as they prepare to begin play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference this season. The Roadrunners will play their first Conference matchup of the season on Saturday against New Jersey City University.
pmcguire@ramapo.edu
