May 6, 2006

Box Score

Senior Ken Grant delivered his best performance of the season in a series-opening shutout at Marist Saturday. The Saints backed Grant with six runs in the opener, but dropped the second game 6-5.

Grant went the distance in the first game striking out five and allowing just six hits. He did walk five batters, but managed to work out of trouble in one of the top efforts of his four-year career.

Matt Gidaly singled and scored the Saints first run on a Scott King ground out in the third. Siena added a run in the sixth on jake Willis' RBI single and put the game away with four runs in the ninth.

Eric Hildenbrand's three-run homer to left field capped off the scoring. Hildenbrand and Gidaly finished with two hits for the victors.

Junior third baseman Pat Feeney went 4-for-4 in the second game, leading Marist to a 6-5 victory..

Aside from Feeney's hitting, senior shortstop Andy Kiriakedes went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, while freshman second baseman Kyle Meyer knocked in two with his second double of the season to the gap in left center in the third inning.

Among those four Feeney hits was his second home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, also in the third inning.

Siena was led by a 3-for-4 effort from left fielder Gabe Perez, while Willis drove in a pair of runs, including his 10th homer of the season in the seventh inning off Marist junior closer Robert Ryan. First baseman Rick Seltzer also had two hits.

Marist redshirt senior starter George Heath picked up the win, tossing four and a third innings with three earned runs on seven hits and one walk to go with two strikeouts. Siena starter James Pacifico (3-5) suffered the loss, giving up four earned runs on 10 hits with one strikeout in just two and two-thirds innings of work.

Marist finished the afternoon at 20-25 overall and 12-7 in the MAAC, while Siena wound up 21-26-1 overall with a 10-10 mark in league play. The two teams finish the series with a single game Sunday at noon.