By Caroline Sweeney

DCCC Phantoms men’s baseball team lost their home opener 17-12 against Middlesex County College’s Blue Colts on March 19. The Phantoms have begun their season with an under .500 record of 2-3, and in regional play, the men are 1-1.

Right fielder Corey Woodcock led the Phantoms with three runs scored and four at-bats. Following Woodcock, third baseman Thomas Donahue and shortstop Jorge Rodriguez scored two runs. Gabriel Frigiola, Kevin Finn, Brian O’Neill, Tyler Butz and Nathaniel Scottung all scored one run.

The game was pretty good until a couple of mishaps in the field,” said Dominic Ervin, Phantoms starting pitcher. “We bounced back and came back to a close loss. If we had the same mindset we started within the first inning through the rest of the game, we would’ve won.”

Ervin began the game strong by only giving up one run to Middlesex. “It felt pretty good getting back on the field,” said Dominic Ervin, a second-year early childhood education major. “My arm felt strong, but there is always room for improvement for myself.”

The Phantoms came back in their half of the first inning, scoring two runs to take the lead early 2-1.

Both teams had a quiet offensive in the second and third inning, with no scoring for either side; however, the team’s defense kept the game tight.

Middlesex dominated the game with a commanding fourth inning. The Blue Colts racked up the hit and surged into the lead. Eight base hits and eight RBI’s gave Middlesex a 9-2 lead at the end of the fourth inning.

Middlesex went through their batting rotation twice before the Phantoms put an end to the surge with two pitching changes.

Ervin was replaced by Carl Lanholm, who allowed one walk and one RBI before he was re-placed by Brian O’Neill. Middlesex’s half of the inning was ended with two fly outs and an out at first base.

The Phantoms struggled offensively with fourth and fifth inning. Middlesex continued to score, lengthening their lead. So Middlesex was up 14-2 at the end of the fifth.

The Phantoms then put together an impressive effort to come back from their 10 runs deficit, scoring seven unanswered runs in their half of the sixth, bringing the score to 14-9 Middlesex.

Middlesex held on to their dominant lead by tacking on three more runs. DCCC added on three more runs of their own in the final two innings.

The final score for the Phantoms opener was 17-12 Middlesex.

“I felt good about my performance,” said Corey Woodcock, a first-year machine tool and technology major. “I gave my team everything I had and was able to contribute to the game.”

Both Woodcock and Ervin agreed that the team fell flat during the March 9 game.Yet they both share the same hopes to keep a positive attitude throughout the season.

“My goals, along with my teammates’ goals, are to win as many games as we can and get a spot in playoffs,” Woodcock said.

The Phantoms next home game will be a double header on April 14 at 12 p.m..

Contact Caroline Sweeney at communitarian@mail.dccc.edu