Brady Hamilton, a sophomore from Wichita State, got the nod for the home opener on Sunday evening. A multitude of fans showed up at Red Wilson Field, with conditions much better than those during Saturday's Opening Day game in Brewster.
Hamilton’s command was an issue in college, with a 4.92 BB/9 in 16 starts. Tonight, he hammered the zone and was absolutely filthy, striking out five batters in his four innings of work. He didn’t walk anyone, only allowing three hits.
The first inning was a big tone setter for Y-D. Hamilton struck out the side, all swinging, to begin the game. Cody Miller (East Tennessee State) led off the game with a double, scoring two at-bats later thanks to a RBI groundout by Chris Hacopian (Maryland).
Sebastian Pisacreta (University of Pittsburgh) doubled off of Hamilton to start the second inning, but strong defense from Y-D stranded him at second base. Miller made a nice running throw, while Hacopian snagged a sharp line drive off the bat of Chris Barr (Army).
Y-D scored two insurance runs in the third, with seven batters coming to the plate. Nolan Traeger (TCU) led off the game with a single, followed by a Dean Carpentier (USC) walk. Miller flew out to center field, but this allowed Traeger and Carpentier to each advance on the play. Will Baker (Georgia Tech) and Hacopian each singled to drive in a run, giving Y-D a 3-0 lead after three innings.
Y-D was able to chase Itsuki Takemoto (University of Hawaii) after three innings, drawing three walks and scoring three times. He reached 67 pitches, but his outing was cut short due to the prolonged third inning in which he threw 27 pitches.
Carson Marsh (University of Cincinnati) entered the game in relief of Hamilton, throwing two scoreless innings of his own. The fifth inning features more strong defense from Y-D, with Traeger throwing out Elijah Ickes (University of Hawaii) in an attempted steal of second base.
Will Baker doubled in the seventh inning, driving in the fourth run for Y-D. Baker finished the game with 2 RBIs, his second straight multi-hit game. Dominic Desch (University of Nevada) threw a scoreless seventh inning, while Ricky Ojeda (UC Irvine) got the last two frames.
Scott Pickler’s pitching staff was excellent in their home opener, only walking two batters all game. They accumulated 13 strikeouts, allowing five hits in total. It was a nice bounce-back win, with the Y-D Red Sox now in the win column for the 2025 season.
Y-D will face off against the Bourne Braves at Red Wilson Field on Monday evening, with first pitch scheduled for 5:00. Jacob Tabor, a sophomore from the University of Toledo, is the projected starting pitcher for Y-D.
(Photo by Sophie Solarino)
