MYRTLE BEACH, SC - The Cabrini University baseball team kicked off their spring break trip yesterday with a pair of wins against Eastern University.

Game 1: Cabrini 5, Eastern 4
The Blue and White opened their spring break trip with a dramatic 5-4 victory against the Eagles. 

After two scoreless innings, Cabrini took advantage of a pair of errors and a wild pitch, in addition to one hit, to push across three runs in the bottom of the third. Senior Garrett Laraia started the rally for the Cavs with a single to left center field and then advanced to second as classmate Mack McKisson was hit by a pitch. Fellow senior Gil Peralta reached first on an error by the third baseman and all three runners scored due to an error by the left fielder.

Pinch hitter, Brendan Van Belle, increased the lead to four in the bottom of the fifth on a single to the right of center field, for an RBI, 4-0. The Cavs held Eastern off the board as they limited the Eagles to two hits through five innings.

With two outs and two on base, Eastern's Mark Cruser homered to left center to pull within one, 4-3. The Eagles continued to press as Brian Lang doubled to left field, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Lang scored the tying run on a Joe Paradise single down the left side.

The game would remain knotted at four apiece until the Cavalier offense went back to work in the bottom of the ninth.

With one out already in the books, the Eagles walked Van Belle and Christian Strickland. Eastern threw Jon Sepe out at first on a 1-4 single play but Van Belle and Strickland entered into scoring position. Van Belle scored the decisive run on a passed ball to secure the 5-4 victory.  

In total, five different Cavs marked the hit column for a combined nine hits. Pat Toal picked up the victory for the Blue and White thanks to a clean 3.1 innings of relief, including six strikeouts. Jonathan Baker earned the start. The sophomore logged 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and four runs, while also striking out four. 

Game 2: Cabrini 18, Eastern 6
Cabrini jumped out to an early lead and never let up cruising to a 18-6 win over Eastern in game two of a spring break trip.

The Blue and White did not waste any time making a statement sending 12 hitters to the plate in the first inning. Garrett Laraia led off the inning with a walk. Mack McKisson drove Laraia home with a triple to left field. With McKisson in scoring position and Gil Peralta on first thanks to another walk, Zack Brook reached first on an error by the third baseman, McKisson scored an unearned run.

Peralta followed suit with another unearned run thanks to a wild pitch and a pop up to shortstop by Brendan Van Belle, 3-0.

The Cavs were not done doing first-inning damage. With the bases now loaded, Earl Kochel IV was hit by a pitch, Brook scored. Back up to bat for the second time this inning, Laraia doubled to right field for three RBI's, 7-0.

The Eagles responded with three runs in the bottom of the first, but the Blue and White added six runs to the lead in the second inning.

Laraia picked up another RBI, driving in Priest. McKisson highlighted the second inning with a triple to left field for three RBI's and added a run on a Peralta sacrifice fly out to center field, 13-3.

Eastern added a combined three runs in the bottom of the second and third, but the Cavs outscored the Eagles 5-0 over the final four innings to walk away with the commanding 18-6 victory.
 
Three different Cavaliers finished with multiple hits, led by McKisson who went 3-for-5, including two triples and a double for six RBI's and three runs. Laraia went 2-for-3 from the plate with three runs and four RBI's. Sutton went 2-for-4 and a pair of runs scored.

Senior Mike Valerio picked up his first win of the season and threw six strikeouts in 5.0 innings on the mound. Freshman James Mercante made his debut on the mound for the Cavaliers as he threw two perfect innings, including his first career strikeout out in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Cabrini will look to remain perfect in South Carolina as they play back-to-back games this afternoon versus Newport News Apprentice School and Hanover College. First pitch is at 11AM.