Cumberland Baseball begin season by taking 3 of 4 from SUNY-Adirondack

VINELAND- The 2022 season is officially underway for the 4th nationally ranked Cumberland Dukes. The team welcomed to the Dukes baseball Complex the SUNY-Ardirondack Timberwolves in a 4-game set that spanned from Friday to Sunday. 

In game 1 of the series, Head Coach Marco Carolla gave the pitching responsibilities to 1st-year player John Liberio. After a rocky 1st inning, the lefty hurler settled down and gave the Dukes just the performance they needed. Liberio did not allow a run after a 4-run 1st inning. He racked up 10 strikeouts in the contest over 6 complete innings. He then turned the ball over to Freshman Andrew Slade who retired the Timberwolves in short order while striking out 2 batters. 

On the offensive end, much of the lineup contributed to the 17-run attack. Kevin Merrone (2), Michael Guzzardo (4), James Hallman (3), and Leggarius Johnson (3) all piled up multiple RBI's. Guzzardo sparked the 2nd inning rally with his base clearing 3-RBI triple. From that moment on, it was all about the Dukes. They would go onto score 5 runs in the 2nd inning, and 12 runs over the next 3 innings. Hallman and Johnson brought some excitement early in the series as both of them went deep in their Cumberland debuts. Game 1 would end with a score of 17-5.

On Saturday, the Dukes offense showed up once again. The offense tallied 17 runs in the game. Hallman, Johnson, and Guzzardo stayed hot at the plate while some new faces got in on the action. Will Gamble and John Lockhart both delivered, Gamble went 1 for 2 with 2 RBI's while Lockhart went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's. Ben Maiers also reached base 3 times courtesy of 3 walks. In consecutive games, Leggarious Johnson hit a towering homerun over the right field wall. He also had 3 RBI's. 

Andrew Simone was on cruise control from the 1st pitch of the game. The former Vineland HS player threw 6 complete innings and struck out 13 Timberwolves. He surrendered no earned runs and only allowed one hit as he faced 20 SUNY-Adirondack batters. Simone earned the win and looks to stay dominate as the season continues to roll on. Cumberland defeated SUNY by a score of 17-1.

Day 3 of the series would see Cumberland lose their 1st game of the season before bouncing back in the final matchup. In game 3 of the series, the Cumberland offense just couldn't get going as they were only able to muster 4 hits and 2 runs score. The game was still close though, as starting pitcher Jacob Shapley and lefty releiver Mikal Goods held the Timberwolves offense to 2 earned runs over 7 innings. The duo also combined for 8 strikeouts. The Dukes fell for the 1st time of the 2022 season by a score of 3-2. As mentioned, Cumberland would finish the series on a positive note by winning game 4; 10-5. Jake Kennealy, Nick Chiodo, and Jeremiah Lebron did the pitching in the finale and combined for 4 earned runs over a 7 inning span. Merrone, Gamble, Lockhart, Casey Vaughan, and Jack Peacock all collected RBI's.

Overall, Coach Carolla thought the weekend was a success. When asked about his teams first performance of the year he said "It was a solid start to the season for our group. The series gave our freshman valuable game experience early in the season that will pay dividends later on". 

Next up, Cumberland Baseball will welcome Suffolk Community College for a series that will begin on Saturday, February 26th. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00PM. 

 Cumberland Baseball Complete 2022 Schedule: https://www.dukesathletics.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/schedule