LATE FIREWORKS FROM ACQUISTO, FOGARILE LEAD MIDDLESEX BASEBALL TO HOT START IN MYRTLE BEACH

Middlesex College Baseball is on their annual trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to compete at The Ripken Experience and has started their 2026 season by winning three of their first four games.

After dropping their first game to Finger Lakes CC, currently the #12 team in the country, the Colts swept Lakeland CC and followed that with a dramatic come-from-behind win against St. Clair County CC.

Against Finger Lakes, the Colts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but Finger Lakes scored 12 runs across the first three innings to take a commanding lead on the way to a 14-7 win.

John Oranchak and Jaime Tamayo each went 3-4 with a run, an RBI and a double and Oranchak also added a triple to his output. Drew Lukachyk had a nice game at the plate as well, going 2-3 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and a triple.

The Colts bounced back the next day against Lakeland CC, winning both ends of a doubleheader by scores of 3-1 and 10-3.

The first game featured a masterful one-hit pitching performance by the Colts. Robert Bressler, pitched five innings for the Colts and allowed Lakeland just one hit. He struck out five and walked three while picking up his first win of the season. Anthony Ortego pitched two hitless innings to pick up the save.

Ryan Acquisto and Oranchak drove in runs for Middlesex, who outhit Lakeland 8-1 on the game. Michael Ramirez had the only multi-hit game for Middlesex, going 2-3 as the team's DH.

The Middlesex offense was much more prolific in the second game of the doubleheader as the Colts took advantage of 10 walks by Lakeland pitchers while banging out 9 hits of their own in the win.

Alfredo Gonzalez was the hitting star of the game going 3-4 with the first Middlesex home run of the season. The sophomore catcher drove in three runs in the win.

Oranchak continued his hot start, going 2-3 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs, a double and a walk. Stanley Bobadilla went 2-4 with an RBI and Lukachyk drew 3 walks and scored 2 runs.

Freshman Jayden Mercado picked up the win on the mound in his first collegiate start. The righty pitched 5 innings and allowed three earned runs on 6 hits while striking out 4. Anthony Singh and Tyler Olesky each pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen to seal the win.

After sweeping Lakeland, Middlesex took on St. Clair County CC the next morning and it proved to be their most dramatic game of the young 2026 season.

The Colts took a 1-0 lead in the second, but St. Clair answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead. Middlesex bounced back with 3 of their own to regain the lead in the fourth, but again St. Clair was able to retake the lead with 2 in the bottom of the fifth.

Middlesex faced a 5-4 deficit going into their final at bat, which set the stage for some Colts heroics.

With a runner on base, Ryan Acquisto provided the biggest hit of the early season as he belted a two-run home run to give Middlesex the lead back. Sophomore Chris Fogarile then provided the Colts a huge cushion, blasting a grand slam for his first collegiate home run to give Middlesex a 10-5 lead going to the bottom of the last.

Elvys Quezada came on for a scoreless seventh to preserve the victory. Olesky was credited with the win after pitching a scoreless sixth prior to the Colts fireworks in the top of the seventh.

Julian Collado went 2-3 with 3 runs and an RBI and Oranchak recorded his third multi-hit game of the season going 2-4 with a run and a double.  

Middlesex has three more games in Myrtle Beach before heading back north to begin Region 19 play this weekend.