ARNOLD, MD – The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team dropped a doubleheader to visiting UCONN Avery Point Tuesday afternoon at Skip Brown Field. In both games, the Riverhawks rallied late, but it wasn't enough as they lost the first, 6-4, and the second, 11-9.
Andrew Leginze went 4-for-6 on the day with four RBI and a double, also coming in to close the first game with a pair of strike outs in one inning of no-hit work. Christian Murphy went 3-for-6 and drove in three runs.
Starter Matt Johnson had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to begin the game, but UCONN took the lead in the third on two hits and a bases-loaded wild pitch.
The Pointers added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings while holding AACC hitless until the bottom of the seventh, when the Riverhawks scored four runs on three hits and three UCONN errors.
Johnson took the loss with three runs on two hits in 2.2 innings, after which the Riverhawks used Luke Emory, Jack Hogan, and Reed Matkins to finish out the game.
AACC had a season-high 12 hits in the second game, led by three from Leginze, but it was UCONN that made a statement in the first inning of game two with a grand slam. AACC answered back in the bottom of the inning with three runs on three hits, taking advantage of a pair of wild pitches and a failed pickoff attempt.
AACC took the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on four hits and again taking advantage of some errant pitching to round the bases.
A three-run home run was part of a five-run third for the Pointers, who also got a run across on a successful double steal and another on a double to left.
The Riverhawks again benefitted from some wild pitching in the fourth to score one on a wild fourth ball during Christian Murphy's at bat to make it 9-6 in favor of UCONN.
The Pointers added two runs in the fifth on a sac fly and an RBI single to make it 11-6. Leginze drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and advanced to third on a balk, but a pair of strikeouts stranded him there to end the inning.
AACC had a runner in scoring position with two outs in the seventh as Andrew Wells doubled to right, but again a groundout ended the inning.
The Riverhawks travel to Montgomery on Friday, March 18, for a 1 pm NJCAA Region 20 doubleheader.
