Fort Myers, FL- The Dean College baseball team came within inches of ending today with a pair of wins. They lost their first game on a walk-off hit, 7-6, and their second game by just one run, 5-4. The Bulldogs close their time in Fort Myers with a 1-4 record, adding to a now 1-8 overall record.
Game One: Haverford College 7, Dean College 6
A heart breaker in Fort Myers. The Bulldogs rallied until the first last pitch. However, with a runner on second base and two outs, Haverford produced a walk-off single to seal the victory.
Leading up to this moment, Haverford took an early lead with a run in the first, eventually expanded it to 4-0 in the second inning. The Bulldogs began to respond in the fourth, with Gavin Goss (Glenwood Landing, NY) delivering a two-RBI single that brought in Luke Fahey (Glastonbury, CT) and Nick Amendolara (Bayville, NY), cutting the deficit to 4-2. Dean continued to battle, with Rylan Secovich (Southwick, MA) adding an unearned run in the fifth, making it 4-3. The Bulldogs seemed poised for a comeback, especially after scoring three more runs in the seventh, including an RBI single by Kyler Lorenz (East Providence, RI) and a throwing error that allowed two more runs to cross the plate. This gave Dean a brief 6-5 lead over Haverford.
However, the Fords responded with a run in the fifth, plus the eventual walk-off single in the ninth inning. Despite strong performances from Dean's offense, including a 10-hit showing, Haverford's pitching and defense ultimately held the Bulldogs at bay in the final frames. Tyler Giambra (Prospect, CT / 0-1) took the loss for Dean, while Doyle (2-0) earned the win for the Fords.
Game Two: Otterbein University 5, Dean College 4
In game two, Dean was held scoreless in the first five innings. Meanwhile, Otterbein jumped out to an early 5-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first and three more in the second. Dean's offense finally came alive in the sixth. A sacrifice fly from Secovich brought in Colin Favata (Syosset, NY) to make it 5-1. The Bulldogs then added another run in the seventh when James Galati (Eastchester, NY) grounded out, allowing Fahey to score.
In the eighth inning, Dean mounted a late rally. Amendolara singled through the left side to bring in two runs, cutting Otterbein's lead to just one at 5-4. However, the Bulldogs could not find the tying run in the final inning, leaving them with a hard-fought loss. Despite strong individual efforts from Amendolara and Secovich, who each drove in key runs, Dean's late push fell short. Nick Swain (South Portland, ME / 0-1) took the loss on the mound for the Bulldogs, while Otterbein's Luke Walter (2-0) earned the win, and Noah Gruver secured the save.
Dean has officially concluded their Spring Training schedule. They will travel back to Franklin and open their home calendar on Wednesday, March 19th, against Bridgewater State Unviersity at 3:30PM.
