Bats Come Alive in Baseball's Split With Cecil

The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team split a doubleheader with visiting Cecil College Saturday, using a six-run sixth inning in a walk-off 12-2 victory in the opener before dropping the second game, 10-4. AACC batters combined for 18 hits on the day, including six for extra bases.

Lennie Lehner hit a pair of home runs and a double in a 4-7 day at the plate. The sophomore first baseman drove in four runs on the day.

Sophomore outfielder Jonathan Alderman hit his first career home run – a grand slam – as part of the Riverhawks sixth inning offensive outburst in game one. Alderman also had a RBI double on the day, driving in five runs total.

Cecil and AACC traded solo home runs in the first inning before the Hawks added another run in the top of the third on a single.

The Riverhawks came alive in the bottom half of the inning, using five hits and taking advantage of a pair of errors to take a 6-2 lead. Lehner drove in the inning's first run before Alderman plated the next. Daniel Stern hit a two-out, bases-loaded single to send the next runner across, and two more scored as Brian Connolly attempted to extend a single.

In the sixth with one out and the bases loaded, EJ Santana got hit by a pitch to collect an RBI and keep the bases juiced. Alderman then cranked out his first career homer to make it 11-2 in favor of the Riverhawks. AACC loaded the bases again on hits from Tripp Templeton and Stern as well as Matt Johnson getting hit by a pitch, setting up Templeton to score on a wild pitch from third to end the game.

Templeton was also the winner on the mound, pitching three scoreless innings in relief. Starter Gavin Umphries took a no decision with two runs on three hits in the first three innings.

Cecil wasted no time in the nightcap, scoring five runs on just two hits in the top of the first. The Hawks extended the lead to 7-0 in the fourth before AACC answered back with an RBI single from pinch hitter Daniel Yellin in the bottom half of the inning.

The Hawks tacked on three more runs in the fifth on a pair of hits. Lehner hit his second home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth before hitting an RBI double in the sixth. Ian Adams accounted for the Riverhawks' other run in the frame with a sac fly to center, plating Yellin.

Bradley Zoellner took the loss for the Riverhawks, allowing five runs (three earned) in a third of an inning. Matt Johnson went three innings, allowing two runs. Dylan Dilts and Tony Puciloski each pitched 1.1 innings before Skylar Kaplan closed out the game with a pair of strikeouts.

AACC is back in action on Thursday, April 1, in a 1 pm doubleheader at CCBC Essex. No fans are permitted at CCBC Essex, however fans can follow the games with live stats.