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Box Score 2 NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth baseball team rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to complete a sweep of Western Connecticut State University this afternoon, winning the nightcap 7-6. The Corsairs also edged the Colonials 3-2 in the Little East Conference opener at Paul Walsh Field.
The Corsairs won for the third consecutive time to raise their overall record to 15-9, including a 6-3 mark within the conference circuit. UMass Dartmouth is sitting in a three-way tie for first place in the Little East Conference standings with Rhode Island College and Southern Maine. Western Connecticut slipped to 12-11, and 5-4 against league opponents.
GM 2 UMass Dartmouth 7, Western Connecticut 6 (11 Innings)
Trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the 11th, senior Ryan Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass.) deposited the first pitch of the inning over the left field fence to draw the two clubs even. Senior George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.) and classmate Cory DeMedeiros (Fall River, Mass.) followed with back-to-back singles to put the winning run in scoring position. Freshman Kyle Cole (Southington, Conn.) was summoned from the bullpen and retired the Corsairs' clean-up batter. However, sophomore pinch-hitter Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I.) hit a long fly ball to left field that was misplayed, allowing the game-winner run to cross the plate.
The Colonials took their first advantage since the fifth inning when sophomore Frank Vartuli (Westport, Conn.) found the right-centerfield gap to score the base runner from first to snap the 5-5 deadlock.
UMass Dartmouth nearly won the contest in the bottom of the ninth, stringing together a two-out rally to load the bases. DeMedeiros ignited the surge with a double, while the visitors loaded the bags with a pair of walks. Western Connecticut induced a 4-3 ground out to escape the jam and force extra innings.
The Colonials began erasing a 5-2 deficit in the eighth inning, when Vartuli produced a RBI single through the left side of the infield. Classmate EJ Lavoie (East Granby, Conn.) tied the contest with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth. Western Connecticut continued to apply the pressure, loading the bases with one out. Freshman Benjamin Lodge (Blackstone, Mass.) came out of the pen to escape the jam with a strikeout and a routine fly ball to centerfield.
The Corsairs scored five unanswered runs in the middle innings to take a 5-2 advantage. Senior Alberto Vasquez (Roxbury, Mass.) provided the exclamation point with a two-run shot to right centerfield in the bottom of the seventh. It was his second home run of the season. Vasquez finished the contest 2-for-5 with a double, home run and three RBI.
Lodge (3-0) threw 2 2/3 innings of relief to earn the victory, limiting the visitors to one run on one hit while striking out three. Junior George Bent (Barnstable, Mass.) worked the opening six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits, while fanning five. He was in line for the victory, but had to settle for a no-decision thanks to the Lavoie round-tripper.
Senior Rob Valunas (Oakville, Conn.) (2-2) was saddled with the loss, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits. Junior Todd Lyons (Norwalk, Conn.) started for the Colonials but didn't factor into the decision.
GM 1: UMass Dartmouth 3, Western Connecticut 2
Junior Steve Colella (Leominster, Mass.) (4-1) stymied the Western Connecticut offensive attack, taking a shutout into the top of the ninth inning. The junior right-hander allowed two runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out five over the course of 8 1/3 innings.
The Colonials snapped a string of nine consecutive batters retired in order with a Lavoie single to left field. Following a walk, the Corsairs turned to freshman Matt Cronin (Framingham, Mass.) for the final two outs. Cronin got the second out, but Western Connecticut took advantage of a walk to load the bases. Vartuli followed with a two-run, RBI double to centerfield to whittle the deficit to 3-2. However, Cronin struck out a pinch hitter on three pitches to record his second save of the season.
UMass Dartmouth cracked the scoring column in the bottom of the first inning, when DeMedeiros drilled a RBI double to centerfield. The Corsairs tacked on single runs in the sixth and seventh to extend their lead to 3-0.
Junior Craig Frobel (Southington, Conn.) (2-2) was the tough-luck loser, allowing three runs, two of which were unearned, on six hits over eight full innings.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 20, when the Corsairs travel to Tufts University (20-6) for a Patriots Day doubleheader.
