FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Junior
Andrew Bryant hit a home run in each game and the pitching staff was solid for the The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth baseball team as Corsairs took a doubleheader sweep at Farmingdale State, 4-2 and 4-1. The Corsairs begin the season with a 2-0 record, while the Rams start the year 0-2.
GAME 1
Graduate student
Ryan Bruning picked up his first win of the season in game one. He went six innings, giving up two earned on six hits with four strikeouts.
Both teams were ready to get the year started and scored in the first inning. In the top half of the first, Bryant drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a groundout, and his aggressive base running paid off with a two-out steal of third base to put himself 90 feet from home plate. Sophomore Jared Niekam then stepped into the batters box and singled to center, scoring Bryant to make it a 1-0 Corsairs lead.
Farmingdale quickly went ahead in the bottom frame. A leadoff single, stolen base, and sacrifice bunt immediately put a man on third, and a base hit evened the game at one with one out. Another stolen base put another runner in scoring position and a two-out single and error allowed the run to cross to give the Rams a 2-1 advantage after the first,
The Corsairs left one runner in scoring position over the next three innings, while the Rams stranded a pair. UMass Dartmouth went back on top, 3-2, in the fifth when Bryant sent the ball flying over the fence in right center for a two run shot, scoring freshman
Devyn Vezina, who doubled earlier in the frame.
Bruning went 1-2-3 in the fifth and sophomore shortstop
Andrew Possi stopped a run from scoring in the sixth to keep UMassD on top. Senior
Chase Stafford earned the save, tossing the final two innings with two strikeouts and only allowed two hits. Sophomore
Matt Tempone added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI single, bringing across senior
Kyle Denis, who reached on a two-out double.
GAME 2
Pitching was the strong suit in game two, which went seven innings. Junior
Ryan Qualey started and went five innings, allowing only one earned on four hits with eight K's and two walks. Senior Mike Solitto came in for relief and earned the save, striking out one batter and allowing one hit in two innings of work.
The Corsairs took a 1-0 lead in the second. Niekam got it started with a leadoff double, moved to third on a wild pitch, and raced home on a passed ball. Senior
Tyler Lyons tripled in the inning, but was cut down attempting to score.
After Qualey retired the side in the second, Farmingdale plated its only run in the third. A walk and a stolen base set the stage for an RBI double to make it a 2-1 Corsair lead after three.
UMass Dartmouth put it away in the fifth. Sophomore
Matthew Klett led the inning off with a base hit and two outs later it was Bryant again, who launched a two-run bomb to right center, extending the lead to 4-1.
Qualey did not allow a run in the bottom half of the fifth, and Solitto shut the door in the final two innings to finish the opening day sweep.
UP NEXT
UMass Dartmouth will head south to Florida where they will first meet Fitchburg State on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Chain O'Lakes Stadium in Winter Haven.
