Tierno tears it up as Redmen win baseball pennant
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(MAX TIERNO TURNS A DOUBLE PLAY IN WIN OVER CARLETON. PHOTO BY KEVIN RAFTERY)
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MONTREAL - Leadoff batter Max Tierno of Manhattan, N.Y., had nine hits in 12 at bats and drew a pair of walks as the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ men's baseball team swept a key four-game home-and-home series with the Carleton Ravens over the weekend.
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The Redmen won a doubleheader -- 2-1 and 1-0 in extra innings -- in Ottawa on Saturday, then bussed back to Montreal for Sunday's doubleheader sweep, posting 6-4 and 5-4 victories.
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The weekend results clinched first place for ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, which sits atop the four-team Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association Northern Division standings with an impressive 12-1 record.
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"The team is strong through and through this year," says Ernie D'Alessandro, in his 15th year as head coach and field manager of the ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ program. "It helps that the athletics department has jumped on board with their support, it's made getting some of the players that are already at the school eager to come on out. We have a deep roster and every guy could be starting somewhere. The talent is there, now we have to make sure that they don't over-think the game."
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Tierno, a 5-foot-10, 160-pound middle infielder, went 4-for-4 with a run scored an RBI and two stolen bases to spark the team in Saturday's first game. Starting pitcher L.J. Aguinaga of Dollard des Ormeaux, Que., went a solid six innings for the win and Montrealer Anthony Carbone picked up the save.
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In the nightcap, Tierno was 1-for-3 with a stolen base and the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning. Conrad Hall, a sophomore from Pointe Claire, Que., picked up the win, after relieving starter Daniel Kost-Stephenson, who had pitched six innings of shutout ball.
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"Tierno had a monster weekend," said first baseman Casey Auerbach. "He was our sparkplug in every game."
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On Sunday, Tierno went 2-for-3 at the plate in the opener, with a walk, two stolen bases and three runs scored. The teams were tied at 4-4 in the sixth when Auerbach muscled out a pinch-hit single, moved to second on an error and stole third base. After Steven Warsh struck-out, Tierno drew a walk and Toronto native Alex Day whacked an RBI single to cash in the winning run. Then Tierno scored an insurance run on a sacrifice fly by infielder Channing Arndt of Yarmouth, Maine. Daniel Porter of Coaticook, Que., registered the win and Carbone came on in the final inning for the save.
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In the nightcap of Sunday's twin-bill, David Haberman of Teaneck, N.J., scattered four hits over six innings for the win and freshman Mark Byer of Cote St. Luc, Que., was awarded a save.
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Tierno went 2-for-2 with a walk, a double and two runs scored as the Redmen rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the fifth inning. Catcher Chris Haddad of Pierrefonds, Que., smacked a two-run single to knot the score at 3-3. Tierno and Day each singled and both scored on Auerbach's single.
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Three games remain before post-season play, all of them make up dates from earlier rain-outs. ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ plays John Abbott College on Tuesday in suburban Kirkland, then is slated to close out the campaign with a doubleheader against Concordia, Wednesday
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Athletics & Recreation
514-398-7012
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
earl.zukerman [at] mcgill.ca
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