Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Rob Knox went 7-for-7 with eight RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Norwich University baseball team to a sweep of its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader versus Albertus Magnus College Saturday afternoon at a sunny and windswept Garrity Field. The Cadets' earned a 7-4 victory in the opening game, before slugging their way to a 16-7 win in the nightcap.

It marks the first GNAC sweep for the Cadets since taking two games from Rivier last season. It also marks NU's first sweep of Albertus Magnus in at least six seasons. Norwich (4-18, 3-5 GNAC) is now in a tie for sixth place in the conference standings with Lasell.

Knox pounded out six extra-base hits on the day, including his first home run of the season in the nightcap. The Conway, N.H., native raised his season batting average 70 points to a team-best .409 following his outstanding performance at the plate. His slugging percentage was increased over 100 points to a team-leading .609.

Norwich jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game when Joe Sleeman reached on an infield single and stole second base. The sophomore moved to third on Dustin Shimkus' groundout, before scoring on a wild pitch.

Albertus Magnus (8-16, 4-4 GNAC) tied the score in the top of the third on Kyle Calechman's RBI double to center field.

The Cadets responded in the bottom of the third, plating five runs to blow the game wide open. Albertus Magnus walked the bases loaded and Norwich scored its first run of the frame when Mitch Blair was hit by a pitch to force a run in. Knox then stepped to the plate and unloaded the bases with a three-run triple to deep center field. Knox scored the fifth run of the inning on David Wygonski's squeeze bunt.

The Falcons got one run back in the top of the sixth inning on Cameron Giordano's pinch-hit RBI single, but the Cadets got that run right back in the bottom of the frame on Travis Dyke's two-out RBI single.

AMC made things interesting in the top of the seventh, scoring twice and leaving the bases loaded. Calechman began the inning by blasting a solo home run to left-center field. A pair of singles chased Norwich starting pitcher Jonathan Philbrook from the game, but the Falcons' rally was not over yet.

Don Dibastiani came on in relief of Philbrook and he got the first out of the inning thanks to the infield fly rule. An error by Shimkus in right field loaded the bases for AMC, and the Falcons scored their second run of the frame on an error by NU shortstop Corey Shearer. Dibastiani was able to bear down and retire the next two batters, though, getting pinch-hitter James Stanley to fly out and retiring Giordano on a groundball to shortstop.

Knox went 3-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Cadets offensively in game one. Norwich finished with a total of just five hits in the contest.

Philbrook (1-1) put together a solid outing for NU on the mound, allowing four earned runs on nine hits in 6.0 innings. He posted four strikeouts and four walks.

Calechman and Chris Dady each collected two hits apiece for Albertus Magnus, which pounded out nine hits in the contest. Cullen Burnell allowed seven runs on five hits in a complete game effort for the Falcons on the hill. He struck out seven batters, while allowing three walks.

Norwich jumped all over Albertus Magnus in the nightcap, plating three runs in the first inning, four more in the second and six in the third.

Knox was 4-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored to pace the Cadets' 17-hit attack. Dyke went 3-for-4 with two triples and four runs scored, while Sleeman, Shimkus and Blair all produced two hits apiece. All nine of the Cadets in the lineup posted at least one base hit.

Austin Shaw (1-4) was the beneficiary of all of the run support as the junior lefty scattered nine hits over 4.1 innings to pick up his first victory of the season. He allowed five runs, but just two of those were earned. Dibastiani came on to pitch the final 2.2 innings and he gave up just two runs on three hits.

Albertus Magnus took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Calechman advanced home following an infield fly popout to first base.

The Falcons' lead was short-lived, however, as the Cadets responded with three runs in the bottom of the first. Dyke led off the inning with a triple to right field, and he came around to score NU's first run of the contest on Shimkus' RBI single to left. Consecutive singles by Blair and Knox loaded the bases, and Shimkus plated the second run of the inning on Sean Kennedy's fielder's choice groundball to second base. The Cadets extended their lead to 3-1 on Dustin Fleming's run-scoring single to right-center field.

Norwich began to open up its cushion in the bottom of the second inning, scoring four more runs. David Maxfield led off the inning with a triple to center field, and he scored on Dyke's RBI single up the middle. Dyke advanced to second as Shimkus reached on an error, and Blair drove Dyke home with a run-scoring single to center field. Knox, again, delivered the biggest blow of the frame as the senior catcher ripped a two-run double down the right field line.

The Cadets continued to pile on the runs in the third inning as they sent 10 men to the plate and scored six times. Dyke laced his second triple of the game to deep center field with one out and scored when Sleeman connected with an RBI double to left-center field. Sleeman came around to score on Shimkus' triple to right-center. The freshman advanced home when a pickoff attempt by the catcher sailed down the left field line. Then, after Blair walked, Knox smashed a two-run home run over the fence in center field. Fleming scored NU's sixth run of the inning when he reached on an error by the third baseman and came around on Shearer's RBI single.

Both teams added unearned runs in the fourth inning, and Albertus Magnus pushed across three more in the top of the fifth to trim Norwich's lead to 14-5.

The Falcons made it 14-6 in the top of the sixth inning on Peter Rogan's RBI double to right-center, but Norwich answered in the bottom of the frame as Knox and Kennedy both smacked RBI singles.

Albertus Magnus capped the scoring in the top of the seventh as Robert Gambradella reached on an error, moved to second on a single by Calechman, advanced to third on a fly out by Jon Almonte and scored on Erik Suraci's sacrifice fly.

Giordano, Rogan, Matt Caputo and Brandon Decker each rapped out two hits apiece to pace AMC offensively in the second game.

Rogan (0-2) got touched up for seven runs on nine hits in 1.1 innings. Caputo came on for 2.1 innings and yielded seven runs on five hits and four walks.

Norwich will resume its GNAC schedule on Sunday, April 11, when the Cadets travel to Nashua, N.H., to battle Rivier College. The first pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.