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Box Score 2 GORHAM, Maine – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth baseball team split a pair of Little East Conference games, 6-5 and 2-1, with the University of Southern Maine on Friday afternoon to lock up the second-seed in the conference tournament.
The Corsairs (22-15) went 9-5 in the conference circuit and reached nine wins for the first time since 1998. The Huskies (26-11) secured the top-seed in the LEC tournament with a 10-4 conference record and will host the post-season tournament, which will begin on Wednesday, May 6 in Gorham, Maine.
UMass Dartmouth 6, Southern Maine 5
Freshman Jack Harrington (Barnstable, Mass.) delivered a RBI double into the left centerfield gap to produce the game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning, and junior Aaron Chouinard (Swansea, Mass.) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half to lift the Corsairs to a 6-5 victory over Southern Maine in Game 1 at the USM Baseball Stadium.
Trailing 5-4 in their final at-bat, senior Nate Farias (Fall River, Mass.) started the rally with an infield single, but was erased on a fielder's choice. Classmate Cory DeMedeiros (Fall River, Mass.) singled through the right side of the infield to advance senior George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.) to third. Classmate Alberto Vasquez (Roxbury, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to left field. Harrington picked a great time for his first collegiate RBI, plating DeMedeiros from second with his double into the gap.
Chouinard, who was making his debut in a closing situation, sandwiched a walk between a groundout and strike out. Southern Maine was given an extra out on a defensive miscue on the right side of the infield, and loaded the bases with another free pass. However, the left-handed bore down and struck out the No. 5 batter to seal the victory.
UMass Dartmouth was finally able to solve junior Shyler Scates (Jefferson, Maine) in the top of the seventh inning. Senior Ryan Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass.) led-off the frame with a double down the left field line and scored on a Farias' RBI single to centerfield. Senior Andrew Richards (South Portland, Maine) was summoned from the bullpen and gave up back-to-back base hits, the latter a RBI double by DeMedeiros that pulled the visitors within one run at 4-3. The Corsairs scored the tying-run on a muffed throw by the pitcher, allowing Agostini to cross the plate.
Junior Steve Colella (Leominster, Mass.) earned his fifth straight decision to improve to 6-1, allowing 10 hits and five runs (four earned) in eight innings. The right-hander issued three walks, but recorded four strikeouts. Colella gave up at least one run in the first three innings, but settled down to hold Southern Maine scoreless over the subsequent four frames.
Farias and DeMedeiros combined for eight hits, four each, to power UMass Dartmouth's 17-hit attack. Farias went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI, while DeMedeiros was 4-for-5 with a run scored and run batted in. Agostini turned in a 3-for-5 showing at the dish, while Vasquez also recorded multiple base knocks.
Richards was dealt the loss, dropping his record to 8-4. The right-hander surrendered three runs on seven hits over the final three innings.
Southern Maine 2, UMass Dartmouth 1
Down 2-1 in the top of the ninth with two outs, the Corsair's tying run was thrown out by a relay throw from junior Sam Dexter to close out the Huskies the 2-1 win in the night cap of the conference double-header.
With the game-tying run standing on first, pinch hitter Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I.) delivered a single to right field. Nick DiBiase gathered the ball and fired a throw to Dexter, who managed to cut down the runner at the plate.
In a conference pitcher's duel, Tyler Levitt and George Bent (Barnstable, Mass.) turned in superb performances on the hill. Levitt went 7.1 innings and kept UMass Dartmouth off the scoreboard for the first seven innings. The winning starter allowed eight hits, one run and fanned four in his fourth win of the season. For the Corsairs, Bent struck out seven batters, while allowing zero walks in seven innings of two-run baseball.
Southern Maine put the first runs on the board when Dexter blasted a solo homerun over the left field fence in the fifth. Dexter powered the Huskies with a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI and a run scored. Southern Maine managed to double their score on a throwing error in the bottom of the seventh. In the ensuing top half, a sacrifice fly by Medeiros drove in Harrington, who led off the inning with a double to left center.
Junior Nick DiBiase, freshman Devin Warren, and classmate Brandon Martins all recorded two-hit performances with a double. To close out the win, Richards pitched 1.2 innings to register his seventh save of year.
Nine different batters recorded a tally in the hit column for UMass Dartmouth. Medeiros went 2-for-3 and swiped a pair of bases to lead the visitors. Farias and Harrington both generated doubles in the effort. Chouinard threw one inning of scoreless ball in relief for the Corsairs.
UMass Dartmouth will wrap up the regular season at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, when the Corsairs take on Newbury at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass.
