Syracuse, NY – The Onondaga Community College baseball team kicked off its 2016 campaign in grand style by taking two games from Camden County College on Sunday at the Baseball Complex. Behind solid pitching from starters Nick Claver (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Aaron Beck (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili) and middle of the order hitting from sophomore Nate Budge (Central Square, NY/Paul V. Moore) and freshman Justin Germain (Troy, NY/LaSalle Institute) the Lazers begin the season at 2-0.
Game One: Camden County 2, Onondaga 6
After spotting Camden two early runs in the top of the first inning, sophomore righty Nick Claver settled down and was perfect the rest of the way pitching seven complete innings. Claver gave up eight hits while striking out three and issuing no walks to pick up his first win of the season.
It did not take long for the Lazers to erase the two run deficit. In the bottom of the first, sophomore Avery Brooks (Syracuse, NY/Henninger) walked and after a Nate Budge single and Justin Germain walk the bases were loaded. A failed pickoff attempt at first sent the ball down the right field line allowing both Brooks and Budge to score tying the game at two.
In the bottom of the second inning Onondaga grabbed the lead for good. Freshman Brandon Breen (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) reached on an error and then on his first collegiate pitch freshman outfielder Chad Raychel (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Forks) hit a triple to center field scoring Breen from first.
The Lazers sent seven batters to the plate in the fifth inning to tack on three additional runs. Key hits in the inning came from Paul Fitzgibbons (DeWitt, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt), Nate Budge and Justin Germain.
Game Two: Camden County 2, Onondaga 4
The Lazers jumped out early by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. After two hit batters, Budge stayed hot by lining a two-run double. Germain followed with a double of his own scoring Budge.
Budge was at it again in the bottom of the third. After a Fitzgibbons walk, Budge lined a double to center scoring Fitzgibbons from first making it 4-0. On the day Budge collected four hits, including two doubles and five RBI.
Freshman righty Aaron Beck recorded his first collegiate win by going five and one-third innings with fourstrikeouts. Colin Smith (Marietta, NY/Marcellus) was first out of the bullpen and ended the Cougars sixth inning threat while Kyle Naugel (Fayetteville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) closed the door in the seventh to earn his first collegiate save. The freshmen trio of pitchers held the Cougars to just two runs on seven hits.
Onondaga (2-0) heads down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for their Spring Break trip next week for a series of games at the Cal Ripken Baseball Complex.
