KALAMAZOO, Mich.- In a pitchers' duel, junior southpaw
Steve Laudicina out aced senior
lefty
Mike Moyer as Brown took the opening game of the annual Brown & Gold baseball fall series Sunday, 3-1. Laudicina went four solid innings allowing just two singles and one run. Moyer surrendered one unearned run and one hit, while racking up five strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
The Gold squad struck first when freshman Hunter Prince led off the top of the fourth with a shot through the right side of the infield. Freshman Brandon Cable worked a seven-pitch walk behind Prince and redshirt junior Brooks Beilke moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Redshirt junior Kory Bauswell drove in Prince with a deep fly to right, however the Gold would strand Cable which proved to be costly.
Brown tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and added runs in each of the next two innings. Freshman Kurt Hoekstra got things rolling in the bottom of the fourth, reaching on an error, and classmate Spencer Church followed with a single to put runners at first and second. Hoekstra advanced to third on a two-strike ball in the dirt, as his team failed to put down a sacrifice bunt. Gold caught a break when Jordan Tillman lined out to third and Church was doubled off at first base for the second out. Junior Vinnie Booker came through for Brown, however, rocketing a shot back to the mound that Moyer couldn't handle, allowing Hoekstra to cross the plate.
Junior Steve Buglione led off the bottom of the fifth for Brown with a triple down the right field line off of junior reliever Monty Porter. Church then slapped a swinging bunt with the infield drawn in that was just enough to score Buglione from third base to put Brown up 2-1. Brown tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and senior reliever Chris Bossenbery tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the save and give Laudicina the victory.
Offensively, Brown was highlighted by junior Theo Piccirilli who went 1-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base, and a run scored. Freshman Brett Sunde was 1-for-3 with an RBI single.
Prince led the Gold squad with a 2-for-4 effort and run scored. Bauswell drove in the team's only run.
Game Two of the Brown & Gold series is Monday at 2 p.m. at Robert J. Bobb Stadium. Senior right-hander Casey Hall is slated to start for Gold, while junior right-hander David Brennan is scheduled for Brown.
