Saint Peter's University Athletics had some incredible moments on the playing surface this past academic year and put together a series of incredible moments that instilled great pride.
To honor the phenomenal student-athletes and all they accomplished in 2021-22, in the month of July, the athletics department will look back at some of the most memorable moments every Tuesday and Thursday.
Setting the Stage
Heading into the first weekend series of the year, the Saint Peter's University baseball team was looking to get off to a hot start as they traveled to Columbia, Md., to face off against Coppin State. The Peacocks took on the Eagles in a four-game set and went on to win three of four against a CSU team that would go on to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
Game One Dominance
- The Peacocks picked up a 9-4 victory over Coppin State in game one for their first win of the season. Sophomore pitcher Kyle Mahady went seven innings strong, as he picked up the win while also recording three strikeouts. Graduate outfielder Tom Buckman earned three RBI's for the Peacocks
- After hitless first innings from both sides, the Peacocks exploded for four runs in the second inning.
- Saint Peter's recorded three straight singles to open the second, which came from sophomore second baseman Parker Gray, junior first baseman Sam Haney, and junior infielder Joey Vitiello. Vitiello's single brought home Gray. The Peacocks scored their second run off of a wild pitch.Senior outfielder Anthony Abbatine hit an RBI on a groundout, bringing home Vitiello to put the Peacocks up three. Graduate outfielder Tom Buckman hit an RBI double to round out the inning, scoring sophomore shortstop Jack Eichler.
- Saint Peter's went for another four run inning in the sixth to regain the lead. Buckman recorded two RBI's in the inning, while Eichler and Jensen each recorded one. Haney, Eichler, Abbatine, and freshman catcher Cole Watson all scored in the inning.
- The Peacocks tacked on another run in the eight inning to put the score at 9-4 after graduate first baseman Chris Marquart hit an RBI single before being called out at first. Buckman scored on the play.
Doubleheader Sweep to Take the Series
- SPU took down the Eagles 4-3 and 9-2 in back-to-back contests in the Saturday doubleheader to clinch the series win. Sophomore pitchers Matthew Dubois and Nick Markantonatos both earned their first wins of the season, while junior infielder Sam Haney recorded five RBI's across the two games.
- The Peacocks jumped out in front early in game one, scoring two in the opening frame. Haney hit an RBI double to score the Peacocks' first first inning runs of the season.
- Dubois was lights out through the first three innings, recording four strikeouts and only allowing one hit/
- Saint Peter's tacked on two runs in the top of the sixth to retake the lead. Haney recorded his third RBI of the game on a single, scoring sophomore infielder Collin Jensen. Sophomore infielder Parker Gray then followed that with a sacrifice fly to score graduate infielder Chris Marquart.
- Senior pitcher Ryan Wappaus came in relief in the bottom of the seventh and earned the save, forcing Coppin State into a double play for the final two outs.
- After falling behind early in game two, SPU was able to score four runs in the fifth inning. All four of those runs were unearned. Graduate outfielder Tom Buckman recorded the lone RBI in the inning. Junior infielder Jeff Massicotte, junior infielder Joey Vitiello Abbatine, and Gray scored.
- The Peacocks exploded for five more runs in the sixth inning to take a 9-1 run. After three straight walks to open the inning, sophomore infielder Jack Eichler hit an RBI single to score Massicotte. Abbatine went to bat next, and earned an RBI walk. Buckman followed that with an RBI sacrifice fly. Haney was then able to hit an RBI single with two outs to score Eichler.
Strong Significance
- The three wins for the Peacocks gave SPU its strongest start to a season since also starting 3-1 in the 2011 season.
- The series victory garnered national attention from the likes of Aaron Fitt and Kendall Rogers at D1Baseball.com.
- The wins over CSU began to look even more significant as the season continued as the Eagles went on to finish the season with 24 wins and earn a trip to the NCAA Regional in Greenville, N.C.
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