The Baruch Bearcats baseball team opened their 2006 schedule on Saturday afternoon in Florida with a doubleheader sweep of Rivier College of New Hampshire.

The Bearcats won 3-2 and 5-4 on a beautiful afternoon, which is part of a long weekend to take advantage of great weather and facilities at the Cocoa Beach Baseball Complex.

In the first game, Arby Gega (Jamaica, N.Y./Hillcrest) recorded the big hit in the sixth inning, driving home Joseph Valentin (Co-Op City N.Y./Dewitt Clinton) with a single for the winning run. Valentin reached base on a double to set up Gega for the game-winning hit.

Pitching ace Tristan Cetto (Bellmore, N.Y./Mepham) had a no-hitter into the sixth inning, before Rivier scored two runs to cut the deficit to 3-2. He finished with 10 strikeouts, two hits, and allowed only one earned run for the win.

The Bearcats had six total hits by six different players. Mike Etkin (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) closed out the game for the save.

In the second game, despite only two hits, the Bearcats pulled out the victory for the sweep.

Alberto Nieves (Murry Bergtraum/Brooklyn, N.Y.) pitched six innings with six strikeouts, allowed three hits, and one earned run.

Thomas Russo (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) was the highlight of the game, batting 2-for-3 with a double, RBI, and run scored.

Rivier committed four errors in the losing effort, including one error that scored Cesar Chaves (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) for the winning run. 

Ted Zhou (Flushing, N.Y./Brooklyn Tech) survived a scary seventh inning with three runs allowed, but held on for the save.

The Bearcats will return to action on Monday with a single game against Penn State-Beaver. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.