NORTHFIELD, Vt.- After a quick trip down Interstate 89, the Norwich baseball team returned home for their first ever contest against the fledgling program from the University of Saint Joseph Sunday afternoon, prior to which the Cadets honored the ten members of the graduating class.

Once the game got going, Norwich went to work in the home half of the first. Brock Carpenter (East Berlin, Pa.) reached on an error and was granted second base which put two runners in scoring position. The next batter, Isaac Maldonado (Miami, Fla.) continued his stellar weekend by reaching on an infield single scoring John O'Connor (Southington, Conn.) from third to break the ice. Carpenter added a second run coming home with Maldonado swiping second.

The Blue Jays answered immediately with three runs of their own in the second, including a leadoff home run and would load the bases threatening for more before an inning ending double play ended the threat. In the third, Norwich would draw even with Maldonado shooting the left center field gap with a double to bring home Carpenter.
After throwing up another zero defensively, the Cadets would take the lead in their next time up to bat. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Dillan Garza (San Antonio, Texas) singled in Owen Silk (North Haven, Conn.) for the go ahead run. A sacrifice bunt, and a hit by pitch would load the bases for Carpenter who plated Garza and Jon Ringer (Cupertino, Calif.) to extend the lead to three.

The lead held until the sixth, where USJ would score six runs to pull ahead by three. However, Norwich fought back to tie the game again in the seventh. Another two out rally ensued with consecutive singles by Silk and Ringer, followed by consecutive doubles by Garza and Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.) evened the score at nine. After a controversial caught stealing in the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Jays would regain the lead in the top of the ninth. The Cadets got the winning run on base in the ninth, but USJ prevailed in a see-saw battle of an opening game. The young guns Maldonado (2 for 4, 2 RBI) and Garza (3 for 5, 2 Runs, 3 RBI) shined in game one.
Looking to keep riding their momentum, USJ opened game two with two runs, but Norwich would immediately answer. With two runners on, a bases clearing triple by Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) into the right center field gap, over the head of the outfielders cleared the bases and evened the score. Franus would come home two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.).

The Cadet lead did not last, as the Blue Jays pulled ahead in the second but could not maintain the advantage. Three straight free passes would load the bases and lead to consecutive RBI singles by Garza and Franus to score two runs and keep the merry-go-round going. A third straight single by Joe Grygent (Cataumet, Mass.) would score both Ohlsen and Garza to give Norwich a three-run cushion.

Norwich would add on a run in each of the third and fifth innings to stretch the lead to five while James Campbell (Havertown, Pa.) kept the Blue Jays in check. After a bumpy first two innings, Campbell settled in allowing four hits, two earned runs and one walk in five and a third innings of work while striking out nine. After his exit, USJ would bring three runs across to shrink the lead to two.

The Cadets would answer in the bottom of the sixth, starting with back-to-back hit by pitched and a balk to put runners on second and third for Nolan Knight (Altona, N.Y.) whose two RBI single doubled the lead. Knight would later score on a wild pitch to bring the score to 12-7 where the score would stand. Offensively, Norwich was led by Franus (4 for 5, 4 RBI, 2 Runs) and Garza (2 for 4, 2 Runs, RBI).

Up next, the Cadets will travel to Anna Maria on Apr. 23 at 3:30 PM.