Pariseau's Walk-Off Single Gives Corsairs Game Two Win Over Bears

DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Freshman Chase Pariseau's walk-off single won game two, 4-3, in the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's home opener against Bridgewater State Friday afternoon. The Bears took the first game, 4-3, as the teams earned a split of the day.

UMass Dartmouth is now 7-5 on the year, while Bridgewater State moves to 7-4.

GAME ONE
After a rough first inning, Bridgewater State's senior starting pitcher David Kearns settled down to earn his second win of the year. Kearns went 6.2 innings, allowed three earned on six hits and struck out four. 

Junior Dan Saracino led the Bears, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Freshman Scott Emerson and sophomore Kevin Lindsay each drove in a run as well.

Junior Andrew Bryant led the Corsairs with a two-run home run in the first with two runs scored, while sophomore Jared Neikam finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. 

Bryant started the game with a bang. After freshman Devyn Vezina drew a leadoff walk, the junior smashed his team-leading third home run of the year over the right field fence to make a it a quick 2-0 lead.

A single, groundout, and an error moved the Bridgewater State leadoff man to third base to begin the top of the second. A sacrifice bunt scored that runner and an RBI single later evened the score at two.

After a scoreless third, the Bears took the lead for good in the fourth. With two outs, a walk and a base hit set things up for Saracino, who doubled in both runs to give Bridgewater State a 4-2 advantage after four innings.

Bryant started the sixth with a one-out single, stole second, and was moved to third. Neikam then drove him home with a base hit to make it a one-run game. The Corsairs had the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, but could not capitalize.

GAME TWO
With the bases juiced in the bottom of the seventh, Pariseau singled to right field to walk it off and give the Corsairs their first home win of the season, 4-3.

Sophomore Matt Tempone drove in two runs with a double, while junior DJ Perron and Pariseau had the other runs batted in. Junior Ryan Qualey got the start on the mound and struck out five over five innings and gave up just two earned runs. Freshman Josh Malcolm and senior Mike Solitto kept the game tied, and graduate student Tylor Arruda struck out two with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to earn the win.

UMass Dartmouth got on the board first once again with three runs in the first. Vezina led off with a single and eventually advanced to third. Neikam plated then him with a base knock. After Bryant was hit by a pitch to put two on base, Tempone doubled to left field to bring both runners across and make it a 3-0 lead.

Qualey threw a scoreless first four innings to maintain the 3-0 advantage. The three runs for Bridgewater State in the fifth came on a wild pitch, a double, and an error to even the score.

Solitto worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth to keep it tied, and Arruda did the same in the top of the seventh with two clutch strikeouts.

Senior James Pederson reached on an error to leadoff the bottom of the seventh and senior Tyler Lyons pinch ran. A sacrifice bunt by freshman Scott Cromack moved to Lyons to second, and a pinch-hit single from senior Kyle Denis put Lyons 90 feet away. Pariseau then poked a base hit to right to win the game.

UP NEXT
UMass Dartmouth is at Endicott on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.