April 12, 2011
Final Stats
Head Coach Tony Rossi warns: "You better enjoy him while he's here." In other words, get to Siena Field before the season ends and Dan Paolini is drafted. The junior slugger put on another dazzling offensive display Tuesday in Loudonville, collecting three hits, none bigger than his game-changing, record-breaking grand slam in the bottom of the sixth as Siena rolled past UMass 9-4 in Loudonville.
Paolini lifted the first pitch of the at bat high into left field, where Kyle Multner gave chase before colliding with the fence as he just ran out of room. When the ball landed, Siena had an 8-4 lead, and Paolini had his new Siena-record, 48th career home run.
"I knew with the bases loaded, he was going to have to throw strikes early," Paolini said. "I was guessing off-speed and got a curve ball right over the plate."
Paolini breaks Ryan Finn's '02 benchmark total, and it took him just 135 games, or two and a half years to do so. Finn, who was inducted into the Siena Athletics Hall of Fame in February, needed 208 games to reach 47. Paolini is 20 home runs clear of Anthony Giansanti's '10 third place total (28).
Paolini walked in his first two at bats Tuesday, seeing just one strike. He lined the second strike he saw up the middle for his first of three hits on a 3-0 count leading off the fourth. In the eight, he hit an opposite field double to cap off a perfect day at the plate.
C.J. Sohl picked up the win in relief for Siena, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings.
Freshmen Vincent Citro and Ken Kirshner had two-hit days for the Saints. Siena played its best baseball in weeks in knocking off the Minutemen, and improving to 4-1 against Atlantic 10 schools this season.
Unfortunately, the Saints are in the MAAC, where they currently sit in eighth place with a 1-5 league record. Paolini hopes this victory could help turn the season around.
"It shows the type of team we could be, and if we keep taking little steps, we'll be all right," Paolini said.
If the Saints can follow his lead, they just might be.
