Box Score BABSON PARK, Mass. – Runs were not hard to come by as UMass Dartmouth nearly completed the comeback, but Babson was able to outlast the Corsairs to capture an 11-10 win on Monday. The Corsairs fall to 8-11 on the year, while the Beavers improve to 13-8-1.
Freshman DeVon King (Carver, Mass.) and sophomore Ervin Kantardzic (Roslindale, Mass.) each put up three hits on the day, with Kantardzic posting a 3-for-4 outing and King going 3-for-6. Junior Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I.) drove in a team-leading two RBI while going 2-for-5.
The Corsairs cracked the scoring column in the top of the first inning when King singled up the middle. He proceeded to steal second base before scoring on a double to left center field by Kantardzic. Harrington then drove Kantardzic home on a ground-out.
The Beavers answer back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Junior Jack Halpin (Glastonbury, Conn.) doubled down the right field line to score freshman Connor Gill (Sterling, Mass.). An Eric Jaun (Loveland, Ohio) hit then squeaked through the left side to score Halpin from third. Mark Webber (Norwell, Mass.) would cross the plate when senior George Crowley (Watertown, Mass.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.
UMass Dartmouth would tie the game in the top of the second, when sophomore Chance Gendron (Norwich, Conn.) reached first on a fielding error by the Babson third baseman, which scored freshman Adam Gay (Kingston, Mass.) and sophomore Mac Curran (Lakeville, Mass.). The visiting team would take a two-run lead on a single to right center field by Cacciola, scoring Gendron.
The back-and-forth game continued in the bottom half of the second, when Halpin hit a two run homer to center field to tie the game at five. The Beavers would take the lead when Gill scored on a wild pitch.
Curran tied the game in the top of the fifth for the Corsairs with a single through the right side, scoring Harrington from first, but Babson would score the next three runs with two in the bottom of the fifth and one in the bottom seventh and extend their lead to 10-6.
The Corsairs would cut into the lead in the top half of the eighth when Cacciola singled up the middle, scoring freshman Jonathan Livolsi (Bridgewater, Mass.). Babson then took the run right back in the bottom half of the frame when Webber blasted a home run.
The top of the ninth, the Corsairs made a late ditch effort. Curran doubled to the left center field gap, to plate sophomore Kenny Michael (Norwood, Mass.) from first base. After a walk by freshman Erick Ramirez (Boston, Mass.), sophomore Zach Courier (Mansfield, Mass.) scored from third on a wild pitch. With two outs, King singled to right field to score Ramirez, but the Beavers were able to force the Corsairs to strand two runners on a game-ending strikeout.
Sophomore Benjamin Lodge (Blackstone, Mass.) was credited with the loss for the Corsairs after scattering four hits over 3.1 innings of work in relief for senior Matt Russell (Townsend, Mass.). Freshman pitcher Edward Lehr (Byram Township, N.J.) picked up his first collegiate victory in two innings of shutout pitching for the Beavers.
UMass Dartmouth look to right the ship when they travel to Fitchburg State to take on the Falcons with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch tomorrow.
