Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth senior
Logan Maitland (Tiverton, R.I.) limited the high-powered Eastern Connecticut offensive attack to just two runs through six innings, but the top-seeded Warriors overcame a five-run deficit with the long ball to stun the fourth seeded Corsairs 9-5 and capture the Mansfield, Conn. Pod of the 2021 Little East Conference Baseball Tournament this afternoon at Eastern Baseball Stadium.
Senior John Mesagno (Tappan, N.Y.) drilled senior
Tucker Hetherman's (Webster, Mass.) first pitch over the left field fence with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to deliver the decisive hit. Mesagno tied the contest in the eighth with a two-run shot as the left fielder went 3-for-5 with six RBI.
Eastern Connecticut's (31-4) rally spoiled a brilliant start from Maitland, who held the Warriors scoreless on two singles through five innings. The right-hander from Tiverton, R.I. set the side down in order in the first and third innings, while erasing a walk in the fourth with a caught stealing. The Warriors solved Maitland in the sixth, when senior Luke Broadhurst (Stafford, Conn.) hit a two-out, two-run home run to left. Maitland induced a ground ball out to his final batter as he exited the contest after six strikeouts and 100 pitches with a 5-2 advantage.
UMass Dartmouth (12-14) built an early 5-0 advantage as junior
Tyler Lyons (Wallingford, Conn.) and sophomore
DJ Perron (Swansea, Mass.) hit solo home runs in the third and fourth innings, respectively. The Corsairs took advantage of an errant Eastern Connecticut throw to plate senior
Jose Vasquez (Roxbury, Mass.) in the sixth, while junior
Zak Souza (Fall River, Mass.) followed with an RBI double.
UMass Dartmouth threatened in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with one out. Eastern Connecticut senior Bryan Albee (Killingly, Conn.) was summoned from the bullpen and strike out two Corsairs to escape the jam without any damage.
Warrior first-year Chris Malcolm (East Lyme, Conn.) whittled the hosts deficit to 5-3 in the seventh with a solo home run.
Lyons paced UMass Dartmouth's seven-hit attack with the centerfielder's second multi-hit game of the season. Seniors
Erick Ramirez (Boston, Mass.) and
JR DiSarcina (Barnstable, Mass.) and sophomore
Andrew Bryant (Canton, Mass.) each recorded a single.
Eastern Connecticut sophomore Nathan Furino (East Haven, Conn.) (3-0) retired six of the seven batters he faced in two scoreless innings to earn the win.
The 16th-ranked Warriors (31-4) advance to host the championship round of the conference tournament against second-seeded and 18th-ranked University of Southern Maine (29-8) in a best-of-three series beginning on Thursday, May 20.
