Box Score AUBURNDALE, Fla. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior Cory DeMedeiros (Fall River, Mass.) went 3-for-4 from the plate, but the Corsairs suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 7-2 decision to regional rival Wheaton College (Mass.) this afternoon at Lake Myrtle Field #3.
Facing its third consecutive opponent that qualified for the 2014 NCAA Division III tournament, UMass Dartmouth saw its record dip to 2-1. The Corsairs opened the campaign with victories over Worcester State and Thomas More. The Lyons completed their Southern swing with a 6-4 mark.
UMass Dartmouth pounded out a season-high 14 hits, led by DeMedeiros. Senior Alex Newton (Saco, Maine) went 2-for-4 with a RBI, while classmates Ryan Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass.), George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.), and Alberto Vasquez (Roxbury, Mass.) each tallied two base knocks. Freshman Josh O'Neill (Halifax, Mass.) recorded his first collegiate hit after entering the contest in the top of the fifth.
The Corsairs failed to register a hit with two outs, leaving 11 runners on base. UMass Dartmouth left runners at second and third four times, while the Corsairs also stranded a runner at second twice. Meanwhile, Wheaton scored three runs with two outs.
Sophomore Kyle Kasprzyk (East Falmouth, Mass.) pitched 6 2/3 strong innings to earn his second win of the season. Kasprzyk retired eight straight batters between the second and fourth innings. Senior Mike Bisceglia (New Boston, N.H.) induced a ground ball double play to end a visitors' threat in the ninth to collect his fourth save of the season.
UMass Dartmouth threatened in the top of the first inning after Alberto Vasquez smacked a ground rule double to right center field to put runners at second and third with two outs, but Kasprzyk jammed the next batter he faced for a 4-3 ground out to end the scoring chance.
The Lyons countered with one run in the first, but the Corsairs received a run-producing single to center from Newton to forge a 1-all tie. Wheaton responded with three runs in the second, while pushing across a run in the bottom of the fifth to extend its advantage to 5-1.
The first two UMass Dartmouth hitters reached safely to start the top of the eighth. DeMedeiros singled up the middle and Vasquez followed suit with a single through the right-side of the infield. However, the Lyons retired the next three batters in order to escape the jam.
Wheaton added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning. After the first two batters reached base, the Lyons used a sacrifice bunt to put runners in scoring position. The Corsairs issued an intentional walk to load the bases, but Justin Silvestro laced a two-run single through the right side to raise the hosts' lead to 7-1.
The Corsairs would not go quietly in the top of the ninth as Harrington started a strung of three consecutive singles to load the bases. Freshman Brandon Polignone (Peabody, Mass.) registered his first collegiate RBI on an error to the second basemen to trim the deficit to 7-2. However, Bisceglia quelled the threat with a double-play.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, when the Corsairs face Benedictine (Ill.) at Henley Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. Fans unable to make the trip to Lakeland can follow all the action via real-time statistics.
