 |  |
Perry Becomes Devils All-Time Hit Leader as Devils complete Sweep of Warriors
Senior first baseman Mark Perry became the Devils career leader in hits on Saturday, recording a hit in each game as the Devils completed a doubleheader sweep of Nyack College with an 11-inning 9-6 win in the nightcap at The Rock in Chester, New York on Saturday.
The Devils had won the opener 1-0. The two-game sweep improves Sciences' record to 10-17 overall and 8-7 in league play. The Devils eight conference wins equals their eight-win effort in 2005 and their highest win total ever in league play since joining the CACC. Sciences' ten wins are the most since they won 11 games in 2008.
Perry (Toms River HS South/Toms River, N.J.) entered the series tied for the all-time hit record of 139 with Vincent Madeline (2000-03). After going hitless in his first three at-bats in the opener, Perry delivered his record breaking hit with a single in the ninth inning as the Devils won 1-0.
A double to lead off the eighth inning in the nightcap was Mark's only hit in the second game, adding to his record and giving him 141 for his career. It was also his 31st career double, moving him into sole possession on second place on the Devils all-time list behind PCPS/USci Hall of Famer Ken Bevenour's(1983-87) 33. Perry later scored the first of what was a four-run inning that tied the game at 6-6.
The Devils trailed 6-2 at the time of Perry's double. A walk and a single followed and Perry scored when Jeff Murtha (LaSalle College HS/Worcester, Pa.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. A bases loaded walk to Will Rebman (Towanda HS (pa.)/Cape Coral, Fla.) plated another run and Nick Szalejko (Archbishop Carroll HS/Norristown, Pa.) grounded into a fielders choice to close the gap to one, 6-5. Jay Andrews (Hunter Sports HS/Springfield, NSW, Australia) then tied the game with a sacrifice fly, scoring Murtha from third.
The game remained tied until the 11th inning when the Devils put three more runs on the scoreboard, all without the benefit of a single hit to take a 9-6 lead as an error and two walks loaded the bases for Kyle Davis (Garnet Valley HS/Garnet Valley, Pa.) who broke the tie with an infield groundout. Two more walks brought home the second Devils run of the inning and Davis followed, scoring on an infield error to make the score 9-6.
Pete LaRocco (Gloucester Catholic HS/Sewell, N.J.), in a rare stint on the mound and pitching his third inning of relief, allowed one base runner (a hit batter) in the bottom of the 11th before getting the next two Warrior hitters to fly out, ending the game and giving the Devils a two-game sweep. It was LaRocco's first win of the season and of his career for the senior from Sewell, New Jersey. He had a career high four strikeouts in the game.
Nyack scored five times off starting pitcher Luke Peyton (Haddonfield HS/Haddonfield, N.J.), who gave up a grand slam to Jose Alberro in the fourth and another run on three singles in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Alberro's dinger was just the third home run given up by the Devils pitching staff this season. The Devils go two back in the top of the sixth as Dennis Murphy (St. Joseph Prep HS (Pa.)/Mullica Hill, N.J.) banged out a two-out two-RBI single. The Warriors added another run off Greg Nealis (Episcopal Academy/Drexel Hill, Pa.) in the seventh before the Devils began their rally in the eighth.
The Devils return to action on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 when they face Philadelphia University in a single CACC contest in East Falls.
