Winter Haven, FL. – RV Dominican University Baseball shifted its focus to a doubleheader against Penn St. Brandywine on Thursday at the RussMatt Invitational.
 
Game 1 Results (F/7):
Dominican: 2
Penn St. Brandywine: 3

How it Happened:
-To open the top of the first, the Stars loaded the bases after a single by Senior Zach Helein, a hit by pitch on Senior Ricky Powell, and a walk by Senior Niko Krecu. Senior Tyler Johnson then drew a walk, bringing home Helein from third, but Dominican was unable to do any more damage.
-After giving up a double, Sophomore Alex Voegele struck out the next two Penn St. Brandywine batters to preserve the 1-0 lead for DU after the first.
-Both squads would go down 1-2-3 in the second, but the Stars generated more offense in the third, as a single by Powell, followed by a steal and a balk, put the Senior on third. Krecu then drove a single into center, scoring Powell, and extended the Dominican lead to 2-0.
-Voegele continued to retire the Lions' batters, recording another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third.
-After a scoreless top half of the fourth for DU, PSB clawed a run back in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the Dominican lead to 2-1.
-The Lions knotted the ballgame up at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth after an RBI groundout.
-Dominican began to struggle for offense in the later stages of the seven-inning game, as the score remained tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
-A walk-off single for Penn State Brandywine was the difference maker, as the Stars fell in the opening contest by a final score of 3-2.

Shining Stars:
-Sophomore Alex Voegele continued his strong run of starts to begin the season, dealing 6.0 innings while notching 8 strikeouts and only allowing 2 runs.
-Senior Niko Krecu was 1-2 with an RBI and a walk.
-Senior Zach Helein finished 1-4 with a run scored.
-Senior Ricky Powell went 1-3 with a run scored and two steals.

Leading the Way:
Hits: 4 Players (1) 
RBI: Krecu and Johnson (1)
2B: Earley (1)
SB: Powell (2)
IP: Voegele (6.0)
Ks: Voegele (8)

 
Game 2 Results (F/7):
Dominican: 9
Penn St. Brandywine: 2


How it Happened:
-Graduate Student Matthew Hannafin got the nod to start Game 2 and held PSB scoreless in the top of the first.
-In the bottom of the first, the Stars started quickly, as Senior Zach Helein powered a single to the left side of the field and reached second through a throwing error. Senior Ricky Powell followed with a single to left field, scoring Helein. With Powell on first, Senior Matthew Earley then stepped up and launched a two-run shot to left-center, giving Dominican an early 3-0 advantage.
-Hannafin solidified the lead for the Stars with a 1-2-3 inning on the mound in the top of the second.
-Junior Aidan Groberski added a solo homer to left-center in the bottom of the second, extending the Stars' lead to 4-0.
-The offense for Dominican kept rolling, as Sophomore Christian Pogorzelski and Freshman Abel Flessner reached base with a pair of singles. Sophomore Marco Stawski then blasted a double into center field, scoring both Pogorzelski and Flessner, pushing the DU advantage to 6-0.
-Penn St. Brandywine got on the board at the top of the fourth, making the score 6-1.
-In the bottom of the fifth, Stawski drew a walk with one out. Groberski then stepped up and sent a triple into the right-center gap, bringing Stawski around to home and re-establishing a 6-run lead for the Stars.
-A solo homer for the Lions in the top of the sixth moved the score to 7-2.
-In the bottom of the sixth, Earley singled over the head of the PSB shortstop, which scored Freshman Austin Long. Pogorzelski then singled to center, which brought Earley home and solidified a 9-2 DU lead.
-Junior Kian Flynn entered in relief of Hannafin at the top of the seventh and shut the door on the Lions, as the Stars won Game 2 of the day by a final score of 9-2.
 
Shining Stars:
-Junior Aidan Groberski was Player of the Game for DU, going 2-2 with a homer, triple, 2 RBIs, and a hit by pitch.
-Senior Matthew Earley went 3-4 with a two-run homer, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored.
-Freshman Abel Flessner notched his first collegiate hit, going 2-4 on the afternoon.
-Sophomore Marco Stawski finished 1-3 with a two-RBI double, a walk, and a run scored.
 -Graduate Student Matthew Hannafin went 6.0 innings on the mound, notching 7 strikeouts while only allowing one earned run.

Leading the Way:
Hits: Earley (3) 
2B: Earley, Flessner, and Stawski  (1)
3B: Groberski (1)
HR: Groberski and Earley (1)
RBI: Earley (3)
IP: Hannafin (6.0)
Ks: Hannafin (7)
 
What's Next:
RV Dominican University Baseball moves to 6-3 (0-0 NACC) on the season. The Stars will return to action tomorrow, March 13^th, for a single game against Wesleyan (CT) as the RussMatt Invitational continues. First pitch is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. EST.

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