The Emory baseball team traveled north to Staten Island, New York on Friday afternoon to take on the NYU Violets in its second UAA series of the season. The Eagles started off the series on a high-note as the Emory bats exploded for 14 runs in a seven-inning mercy-rule win, 14-4. Junior Matthew Sicoli led the way for the Eagles, going 4-for-4 with five RBIs and a home run.
Emory's upper third of the lineup combined for 10 RBIs, with senior Jacob Grossman having two RBIs on a four-hit day with three doubles. Freshman Jake Lawson was solid out of the two-hole, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a triple. Five different Eagles had a multi-hit day and five also had RBIs.
The Eagles got the scoring started early, with senior Jacob Grossman leading things off with a double. Sicoli capitalized on the leadoff double, driving in Grossman with a single. However, the Violets clawed back with a three-run bottom of the first to take an early 3-1 lead. NYU added another run in the bottom of the second to extend their lead to 4-1.
Sicoli and Grossman struck again in the top of the third, though, with Grossman doubling and Sicoli driving in two runs with a single. Junior Blake Dincman drove in the game's tying run with a single, then sophomore Zach Wasserlauf tripled to center field to give the Eagles the lead, 5-4.
The Emory bats refused to cool off. The top-third of the Emory lineup continued to deliver, with Grossman driving in a run with a double in the fourth and Sicoli once again bringing him around with a single into left field in the top of the fourth. The Eagles took an 8-4 lead into the fifth.
Grossman once again slugged an RBI double in the top of the sixth before he stole third and came around to score on a Lawson fielder's choice. Sicoli would add the Eagles' 11th run of the afternoon when he slugged a home run to dead center, giving Emory an 11-4 lead. In the top of the seventh, Lawson swatted an RBI triple to bring around two more before he went onto score the 14th run on a wild pitch in the next at bat.
Freshman JT Rattigan got the start on the bump and struggled out of the gate, giving up four runs in the first two innings. Yet, the rookie buckled down and finished his last 3.2 innings of work surrendering just four hits and no earned runs. He finished with a line of 5.2 innings, seven hits, four strikeouts and four runs allowed. Rattigan's impressive end to his day allowed the Eagles to finish this one in seven innings, with Emory taking a mercy-rule win in New York.
The Eagles will be back in action tomorrow for a double header against the Violets tomorrow afternoon. The first game will start at 12:00 PM with the second game starting shortly after.