UB Baseball Goes 1-1 On Opening Day Of Florida Spring Trip

Winter Park, Fla.-The University of Bridgeport baseball team opened its 2013 Spring Trip to Florida by splitting two games on Saturday afternoon, losing to Stonehill College, 3-2 in 12 innings to open play and coming back to defeat Assumption College, 6-3, to close out action on the day.  With the split, the Purple Knights are now 2-3 on the season.

Versus Stonehill, juniors John Ascenzia (West Haven, Conn.), Brock Roggie (Lowville, N.Y.) and  Justin Weakley (Cold Brook, N.Y.) each had two hits for the Purple Knights, and Roggie had the team's lone RBI.

Stonehill tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the bottom of the ninth and scored an unearned tally in the bottom of the twelfth to grab the 3-2 victory.  Senior Chris Maull (Winslow, N.J.) took the loss in relief for the Purple Knights in Saturday's opener.  Starter Brian O'Keefe (Milford, Conn.) worked eight innings in which he allowed only one run and struck out eight as he received no decision.

In the win over Assumption, the UB offense smacked out 13 hits and raced out to a 6-0 lead after the top of the fourth inning on the way to the victory.

Junior Michael James (Piscataway, N.J.) went 3-for-5 versus Assumption, and senior Mike Olszyk (Hamden, Conn.) had two hits, scored two runs and blasted his first home run of the season.  Sophomore Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn.) had two hits and two RBIs for the winners, and freshman catcher Nick Zieniuk (Margate, N.J.) also had two hits for the Purple Knights.

On the mound, junior Mike Nowak (Latham, N.Y.) raised his season mark to 2-0 with a complete game performance in which he allowed eight hits over nine innings in which he struck out four and walked only one Assumption batter.

Bridgeport will take Sunday off before returning to the diamond against Bentley University at 12 noon on Monday. March 11.  That game will be played at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.