NEW LONDON, Conn. - The legend of
Rick Barkley (Bellevue, Wash.) grew some more on Saturday afternoon as the junior shortstop hit long balls in both games of Coast Guard baseball's New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schedule-opening doubleheader against Clark University (Mass.) at Nitchman Field.
The Bears won both games, 7-6, to improve to 11-6 overall, start their conference itinerary at 2-0, and build their win streak up to four games; Clark moves to 13-6 overall and 1-2 in NEWMAC play and will look to get back on track in another conference tilt at Emerson College (6-10, 0-3 NEWMAC). The Cougars defeated the Lions at home earlier this week in a battle of the big cats, 9-7.
Barkley was 4-for-8 on the day with two RBIs via his solo homers, while drawing a walk in each games and scoring three runs across both appearances. Fellow junior
Kael Godshalk (Bangor, Pa.) also proved important to the Bears' cause by going 4-for-6 with two walks, three RBIs, and three runs between both contests. Coast Guard also had the benefit of strong multi-inning relief efforts in both contests.
Game One: Coast Guard 7, Clark 6
With the game tied at six in the bottom of the tenth inning, Barkley uncorked a fence-clearing shot to left-center field for his fifth home run of the season and the 21st of his career. The junior's teammates mobbed him at home plate, but Barkley's big hit wouldn't have been possible without the effort's of Godshalk just a few innings earlier.
Coast Guard trailed, 5-6, when Godshalk stepped up to the plate with two outs and hit the ball into left field to bring around senior
Wyatt Duthu (Madison, Ala.) as the tying run from second. The junior outfielder delivered in an arguably bigger moment in the bottom of the sixth after the Bears had fallen behind, 2-5, with a two-out bases-loaded single to right field to plate two.
Luke Percifield (Pinellas Park, Fla.) followed suit with another single to drive in the man from third and tie it at six.
Sophomore pitchers
Vito Giordano (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and
Jackson Dorsey (Newark, Del.) pitched the first eight innings of the game, with Giordano starting and going five and two-thirds and Dorsey going two and one-third. The duo did what they could to mitigate the damage, combining for seven hits allowed and six runs allowed with just one earned due to three errors.
The pair's work led to freshman lefty
John DiMarsico (Severna Park, Md.) entering in relief and throwing shutout ball for the final two innings. Big John allowed one hit and struck out two, while Barkley's walk-off allowed the southpaw to improve to 4-1 on the season.
Game Two: Coast Guard 7, Clark 6
Barkley's second blast of the day came in the bottom of the sixth and gave Coast Guard a much-needed insurance run to extend the hosts' lead to 7-4. The homer was made even more important by what happened in the ninth inning. Sophomore
Ryan Karman (Sayville, N.Y.) was brought on to close the game, but Clark was able to get two across on a one-out double down the left field line. The Bears' change-up specialist and last season's team leader in saves induced a ground out and a fly out of his next two batters faced to earn his first save of the year.
Coast Guard recorded 14 hits in game two, ten of which came from two-hit games by five different players. Among them was Barkley and Duthu, the latter of whom delivered in a big spot in the top of the fourth to help Coast Guard pull away mid-game. The most recent member of the Bears' 100 hits club stepped up with the bases loaded and two down with a 4-3 lead and singled to center field to bring in two.
Raymond Priddy (Chico, Calif.) was the opener in game two, going three innings and allowing four hits, three runs (all earned), and two walks with one strike out.
Harrison Milbert (Kingston, Mass.) pitched through the fifth and recorded an out in the sixth while allowing one hit, one run (earned) and walking four with a strikeout. Bridging the gap between Milbert and Karman was
Tyler Michalek (Haslet, Tex.), who shut out the Cougars while allowing three hits and striking out three. Milbert was awarded with the win, improving his record to 2-2.
Who's Next?
Coast Guard baseball will a brief break from NEWMAC action by playing hosts to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (10-8). The Bears' last meeting with the Buccaneers in 2023 ended in a 2-1 win, in which Priddy earned a win after three innings of relief and Duthu went 2-for-3 with a double.
