ARNOLD, MD. – The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team swept its home-opening four-game series against Hudson Valley Community College this past weekend. The Riverhawks used dominant pitching to win the doubleheader on Saturday by scores of 2-1 and 5-2, before their bats got hot on Sunday in 11-3 and 6-3 victories.
AACC scored 24 runs on 31 hits in the series, including six doubles, a triple and a home run. The Riverhawks stole 18 bases in 20 attempts, led by an 8-for-8 performance by short stop Dyllon Barrett. At the plate, the Riverhawks hit a combined .301 on the weekend and limited Hudson Valley to a lowly .188 batting average.
Jacob McDonald struck out eight and allowed just one hit in five innings of scoreless work in Saturday's first game. AACC scored single runs in the second and fourth innings, the first on an Ethan Grieb single, and the second on a Sebastian Casanova groundout. Hudson Valley's run came on a wild pitch from reliever Zach Ford, who picked up the save with no hits allowed and a strikeout in the final two innings.
Shane Emerson struck out six and allowed five hits while walking one in four scoreless innings in Saturday's nightcap. Reliever Kyle Wortz surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits while striking out three and walking two en route to his first career save as he finished the final three innings. The Riverhawks scored single runs in the second through fourth innings before plating two in a two-out rally in the fifth. Donny White recorded a pair of RBI, driving in the runs in the second and fourth. Will Burchick sent a runner across in the third on a groundout, and Barrett sparked the fifth inning rally – first getting on base via hit by pitch before stealing second and advancing to third on a Burchick single. John Greenawalt placed his single in a gap in the left side to plate Barrett before Alejandro Casanova followed with an RBI single to first.
Hudson Valley scored both runs with no outs in the fifth, first as Josh Foglia extended a double to third base on the throw from left to see TJ Strevell cross the plate. Foglia scored when what would've been a wild pitch was corralled by catcher Sam D'Amelio, but somehow ended up in the Riverhawks' dugout allowing Foglia to score. Wortz and the Riverhawks defense made three quick outs to end the Vikings' threat.
The Riverhawks scored 11 runs on 12 hits in Sunday's first game, led by a 3-for-5 day with a double from Burchick, a triple from Alejandro Casanova, and the first career home run for Grieb – a two-run shot over the left field fence in the second inning. AACC scored in every inning except the third, plating five runs on three hits in the fourth led by a three-run double from Brady MaDonald. On the mound, Aiden Cassilly earned his first career win with one run on three hits through five innings before giving way to MacDonald, who surrendered two runs on two hits in the final two innings.
AACC added six runs on five hits in Sunday's nightcap, breaking open what was a 2-2 game in the fifth with a pair of runs and solidified the win with two more runs in the sixth. Barrett drove in three runs in the game, first with an RBI double in the third inning and following with a two-run single through the left side in the sixth. Hudson Valley tied the game in the fourth using small ball for the first time all weekend. The Vikings took advantage of an error and a wild pitch to score a single run in the inning. Reliever Luke Emory earned the win striking out three and allowing one unearned run on one hit in two innings. Grieb earned the save with one run on two hits and three strikeouts – including a called third strike to end the game.
The Riverhawks won their first four home games since 2020, when the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AACC, now 4-4 overall, continues its homestand hosting Delaware Tech on Wednesday, February 22, in an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Skip Brown Field.