SARATOGA, N.Y. - After going winless in Liberty League play in 2014, the Bard College baseball was simply looking to take a step forward in 2015.
It turned out to be a giant leap.
The Raptors wrapped up the 2015 season with a sweep of Skidmore College on Sunday afternoon, 5-4 and 18-7. Bard won six of its last seven games, and by winning 3-of-4 against the Thoroughbreds this weekend, they won their first Liberty League series.
They finish 2015 at 11-25 overall, 6-18 in the Liberty League. Skidmore is 12-23, 6-16.
It was an eye-popping end to the season.
Bard won a tight one to start the day, holding Skidmore off, 5-4.
Steve Marotta had an effective start, giving up 10 hits and three earned runs over 6.2 innings. Skidmore cut a 5-2 lead to 5-4 in its last at-bat, but
JP Fisher came in a struck out Matt Barra (Rochester, NY) with the tying run on second to pick up the save.
David Schlosser and
Jeff Goldrosen each had two hits and an RBI. Three of Bard's five runs were unearned, thanks to a trio of crucial Skidmore errors.
The second game was 2-2 after two innings, and then something incredible happened. Bard sent 16 batters to the plate in the top of the third, scoring a school-record 10 runs to blow it open.
Schlosser was hit by a pitch, Fisher reached on a bunt single, and
Adam Carafotes homered to left to make it 5-2.
Alec Montecalvo singled, Goldrosen doubled and
Eswar Vinnakota was hit by a pitch, still with none out.
Lee Perry walked, making it 6-2. A wild pitch made it 7-2: Still no outs. Marotta walked to re-load the bases, and
Quinn McInerney made it 8-2 with a sacrifice fly. Schlosser walked to load the bases again - and Fisher singled to drive in two more. Carafotes walked, and with two outs, Goldrosen drove in two with a single. It was 12-2.
Fisher and Goldrosen each had two hits in the same inning.
As if that wasn't enough ... Skidmore had cut the lead to 12-7 going into the top of the ninth when the Raptors put six more up on the board. A bases loaded walk by Fisher made it 13-7, a two-run double by Carafotes made it 15-7, an RBI double by Montecalvo made it 16-7, and a two-run single by Goldrosen made it 18-7.
Carafotes went 2-for-4 with a double, homer and school-record five RBI. Goldrosen went 3-for-6 with four RBI, Montecalvo went 3-for-5 with three RBI, Fisher went 2-for-5 with three RBI, and Schlosser went 2-for-2 with four runs scored. Fisher went 6.1 innings to pick up the win on the mound.
Schlosser finishes his freshman season with a .425 batting average and 17-for-21 on stolen base attempts. Montecalvo (.407) leads the team with 36 RBI, followed by Carafotes (.350), who has 34 RBI. Fisher (.307) came on strong down the stretch, finishing the season on a 10-game hitting streak. He stole 18-of-22 bases.
