Box Score (Game #1) 
Box Score (Game #2) 

WAYNE, N.J. – Junior all-American Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) went a combined 3-for-6 with five RBI, a triple and a home run as William Paterson (2-0) opened its 2009 season with a seven-inning doubleheader sweep of visiting Worcester State (0-2) March 7. The Pioneers rallied for a 5-4 victory during the opening game, and cruised to a 12-1 win during the nightcap.

GAME ONE
The Lancers jumped out to a 2-0 lead during the first game thanks to solo homers by Nick Fluegge in the third inning and Nick Caparell in the fourth. The Pioneers cut that advantage in half during the bottom of the fourth when freshman Rob Somers (West Long Branch, N.J./Shore Regional) plated John Elia (Emerson, N.J./Pascack Valley) with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Worcester State tacked on two fifth-inning runs, one trotting home on an error and another crossing the plate during a double play, for a 4-1 edge. However, that lead did not last long, as William Paterson exploded for four hits and four runs during the home half of the inning. A Vin Ganz (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) walk, an Andrue Laguerre (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) hit by pitch and a Will Courter (Roseland, N.J./West Essex) single loaded the bases for Guadango, who blasted a full-count pitch to the base of the wall in center field, clearing the bases with a triple and tying the score at 4-4. Elia then promptly singled home Guadango, giving WP its first lead of the day.

Courter and Elia each had two hits for the Pioneers, while Guadango was 1-for-2 with the three-run triple. Senior Dan VandeVrede (Lincoln Park, N.J./Pequannock) picked up the victory with 5.1 innings of seven-hit, four-run ball. Freshman J.J. Moran (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) earned his first career save with 1.2 innings of shutout relief, striking out two while allowing just one hit.

Ryan LaParade, Fluegge and Caparell each had two hits for Worcester State. Starter Joey Lucier suffered the loss (0-1), as he was responsible for all five runs scored.


GAME TWO
Already ahead 4-1, the Pioneers blew open the second game of the day with an eight-run fourth inning en route to a 12-1 victory.

The Pioneers' Derek Koppinger (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional) smacked a two-run double in the second inning, and freshman Anthony Dorio (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) drove in two more with a third-inning single to center field, for a quick 4-0 score. Caparell got the Lancers on the scoreboard with his RBI-single during the top of the fourth inning, but William Paterson put the game out of reach with its eight runs in the bottom of the frame. Courter drove in two runs with a triple, Guadango plated two more with a towering home run to right-center field, and freshman J.D. Melendez (Aberdeen, N.J./Matawan Regional) had a two-RBI single to lead the outburst.

Elia was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored, Melendez was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and Courter and Guadango each were 2-for-4 with two RBI. Junior Scott Zirul (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) scattered four hits over five innings for the win (1-0), while sophomore Ryan Steidl (Randolph, N.J./Morris Knolls) looked sharp, striking out two of the three hitters he faced in an inning of relief. Freshman John Savoie (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) gave up a seventh-inning single in his first collegiate action.

Caparell had two of the Lancers' five hits, and starter Bob DeVito was tagged with the loss (0-1) after giving up five hits and four runs in 3.0 innings on the mound.

William Paterson will play 10 games at the Greater Phoenix Invitational, starting with a contest against Marian Friday, March 13, at 2:00 p.m. PT.