ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - The Bard College baseball team opened the 2016 season with a doubleheader sweep of Norwich University on Saturday, walking off in Game 1, 4-3, and cruising in Game 2, 12-4. Both were seven-inning games.

In Game 1, JP Fisher staked freshman starter Evan Richardson to a 2-0 lead with a two-run single in the second inning, and it stayed that way until the sixth. Norwich (0-2) touched up Bard reliever Jeff Goldrosen. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases. A wild pitch and a groundout tied the game at 2, and the Cadets took their only lead of the day when freshman Mike Lesco (Somers, CT) hit a two-out single. It was 3-2 going to the bottom of the sixth.

Matt Lasky singled and later scored on an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Dylan Long, and it was tied going into the seventh.

Freshman reliever Alex Bunnell set Norwich down in the top of the seventh, and Bard won it in the bottom of the seventh. With out one, Adam Carafotes walked. He stole second, stole third, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Alec Montecalvo.

Richardson gave up two hits and no runs over four innings, striking out four and walking two. Bunnell (1-0) got the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Lasky and David Schlosser each had two hits.

Three unearned runs in the top of the first put Game 2 starter John Wendt, another freshman, in a hole, but his teammates dug him out with two in the first and four in the second. Wendt made sure that was enough, as he yielded just one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk through five innings.

Schlosser went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored; Montecalvo went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored; Jack Hawke hit a two-run double and Julian Gonzalez, in his first college at-bat, hit a two-run double. Rami Masani mopped up with two innings of hitless relief.

The Cadets are back in action on Sunday when they travel to SUNY Purchase for a doubleheader. Game times are set for 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Release courtesy of Bard Sports Information