Springfield, Mass. – March 1, 2024 – The Springfield College baseball team opened its 2024 season with a thrilling 7-4 win over Brandeis University on Friday afternoon on Archie Allen Field.

Springfield sits at 1-0, while Brandeis opens the year at 0-1.

The Pride produced seven runs and 14 hits on the day as five of the nine hitters for Springfield tallied at least two knocks. Junior Michael Lepere (Beacon, N.Y.) led the offense with a 3-for-5 day and two RBI, while senior Ryan Sorgi (Braintree, Mass.) belted what proved to be the game winning home run in the bottom of the seventh to lift the Pride to the win.

On the bump, senior Connor Caverly (South Berwick, Maine) was lights out in his first outing of the year as he tossed five innings, struck out seven and only surrendered an unearned run. First-year Ryan Delaney (Ellington, Conn.) earned the win for the Pride in his collegiate debut as he came out of the pen and pitched 2.1 shutdown innings, struck out three and scattered three hits.

Springfield struck for the game's first run in the bottom of the opening frame as senior Andrew McCarty (Meriden, Conn.) hit a slow roller to shortstop allowing graduate student Michael Barrett (Longmeadow, Mass.), who earned a one out walk and stole a bag, to score from second for the 1-0 edge. Caverly struck out the side in order in the top of the second and surrendered his lone run in the top of the fifth after a passed ball and an RBI ground out for the Judges.

The Pride upped its advantage to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Junior Cole Zalegowski (North Haven, Conn.) opened the frame with a single to center and then with two outs, Springfield loaded the bases on a knock by graduate student Mark Nofri (Naugatuck, Conn.) and a hit by pitch. With the bags juiced, Lepere roped a two-run single up the middle and Barrett lined the ball through the right side to account for Springfield's three run frame.

Brandeis got a run back in the fifth and sixth before knotting the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh on an RBI triple to the gap for Alex Kim and a balk.

Sorgi stepped to the plate as the lead-off hitter in the bottom of the seventh and blasted a no-doubt homer over the fence in left to regain the lead for Springfield, 5-4. Zalegowski doubled to center and scored on a base knock by sophomore Jack Dunaisky (Longmeadow, Mass.) before junior Andrew Sweet (Charlton, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch for the 7-4 lead.

Delaney struck out two in the top of the eighth and allowed the tying run to reach base in the top of the ninth, but the first-year got Henry Aronwald to swing and miss for the final out of the game as Springfield began the season with the win at home.

Springfield is scheduled to host Western New England University tomorrow morning beginning at 11:30 am in a doubleheader on Archie Allen Field.

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