CSM baseball off to slow start

Saturday afternoon when the College of Southern Maryland baseball team got swept by visiting Allegany Community College in a competitive twin bill under overcast conditions in La Plata, the Hawks’ latest pair of near misses underscored their youthfulness.

CSM (8-18) second-year coach Brad Sullivan, technically in his first full season after wearing the interim tag in 2023, has a stunning, almost superfluous sum of 29 freshmen players on the current roster. Sullivan, who played four seasons of varsity baseball at Bishop McNamara in Prince George’s County under former coach Larry Prange, can see the silver lining of such a robust, young group.

“We’re a very young team,” Sullivan said after the Hawks fell 7-5 and 5-2 in Saturday’s twin bill. “We have 29 freshmen on the roster and a lot of them are getting valuable playing time this year. There is a lot of local talent on this team, but we also have guys from Florida and other international players on the roster. We had chances but we also had a few mistakes.”

In the opener, CSM staked starting pitcher Chase Bart to 1-0, 3-1 and 4-2 leads through the early stages. Right fielder Waldy Reyes walked and scored on a single by Xavier Thompson in the first, then Reyes doubled home a run and scored on another single in the third. The Hawks pushed the lead to 4-2 in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by catcher Jimmy Estarita.

Allegany drew even against Bart in the top of the fifth on a single by Christian Toledo, who later scored on a ground out. Allegany then took the lead for good in the top of the sixth when Eden Ohpattah smacked a solo homer then three batters later Nasir Mendez belted a two-run homer off Bart that prompted Sullivan to yank him in favor of Gabe Multumyr.

CSM got one run back in the bottom of the sixth and chased Allegany starter Tyler Serb after Jaden Hendricks worked him for a bases loaded walk that plated Tyree Claxton. With the bases loaded and one walk, Serb was pulled in favor of Zach Neville who promptly slammed the door by fanning the next two Hawks’ batters then recorded the save by retiring the side in order in the seventh.

In the nightcap, Allegany broke a 2-2 deadlock by scoring three times in the top of the seventh then Toledo tossed a scoreless bottom half to earn the save and complete the sweep. Allegany’s Timmy Jones collected the win while allowing two runs in six innings, but CSM’s Yunior Pena took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, in the top of the seventh after the Hawks had rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to draw even.