Cougars staff all zeros so far

MANCHESTER – (March 12, 2009) Two games, two shut out wins for the MCC baseball team in 2009. Manchester Community College shut out Eastern Connecticut State University’s JV 3-0 Thursday afternoon at Cheney Tech and has not allowed a run over 18 innings.

James McGowan (South Windsor) had an RBI single in the fourth an added a sacrifice fly in the eighth while Mike Quagliaroli (Windsor Locks) pitched the first five innings for the win. Catcher A.J. Lowers (Newington) drove in the only run MCC (2-0) would need when his opposite field double plated Alan Fredriksson (Torrington) with the game’s first run.

Tyler Wenz (Ogdensburg, NJ) picked up his second save, striking out the side as he did on Tuesday in his first collegiate save in a 1-0 win against ECSU’s JV (2-2). Wenz needed just nine pitches and four minutes to close out the JV Warriors on Thursday.

John White (Rockville) and Ryan Carroll (Newington) bridged the gap to Wenz with three shutout innings in their college debuts. White worked the sixth and seventh innings while Carroll, who struck out the first batter he faced, pitched the eighth.

“We played good defense, hit the ball just enough and pitched very well,” MCC Head Coach Chris Strahowoski said after the two hour and twenty one minute game that was played in sunny, but windy and very cold conditions.

Quagliaroli, who will leave for Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells, Texas on Saturday with his Air National Guard troop, gave up three hits and struck out four without walking a batter.

“For the first time outside, I felt great,” Quagliaroli said after throwing a mix of fastballs and change-ups that amounted to a crisp 60 pitch outing. “We cut a couple of guys real short with the change-up. I worked it out with A.J in the bullpen before the game.” The right-hander, who was 5-0 with a 1.47 ERA as a freshman on MCC’s NJCAA Region XXI championship team in 2008, will miss two weeks of action because of his military obligation.

“It was very, very cold, but he threw the ball well for the first time out,” Strahowski said Quagliaroli. “He had good velocity, good control and got ahead of almost every batter. It was a good performance.”

Peter Burgio (Bolton), who was the hero on Tuesday when his solo homer was the difference in the Cougar’s 1-0 opening day win, was on base twice with a walk and a double and scored two of MCC’s three runs. The clean-up hitter teamed up with McGowan twice for runs, scoring on a single in the fourth and on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

MCC travels to Long Island on Sunday for a double-header against Suffolk County-Grant in Brentwood, New York and return home for a double-header on Saturday March 21 against Dean College.

Manchester Community College 3 Eastern Connecticut JV 0

at Cheney Tech, Manchester, CT

ECSU JV 000 000 000 —– 0 4 0
Manchester CC 000 300 10x —– 3 9 2

E Nathanial Belke, Dan Feldshon (4), Jeff Morris (4), Andrew Petrucci (6),Andrew Bonaventura (7), Kevin Keys (8) and Steve Camuso M Mike Quagliaroli, John White (6), Ryan Carroll (8),Tyler Wenz (9) and A.J. Lowers (7) WP: Quagliaroli LP: Belke; Records: E:2-2, M: 2-0