BOSTON, Mass. – With a 3-2 lead after six innings, the UMass Dartmouth baseball rattled off a three-run seventh inning that they rode to a 7-2 victory over UMass Boston on Tuesday. The Corsairs (14-12, 5-5 LEC) knock off their Little East foe Beacons (17-9, 7-1 LEC) and hand them their first loss in conference play this season.
After six inning, the Corsairs led 3-2 when sophomore
Devyn Vezina kicked off the top of the seventh with a single to center. Following him was senior
DJ Perron who pulled a triple down the left field line to score Vezina. Fellow senior
Andrew Bryant knocked home his classmate with a single to center. Bryant made his way to second base on a ground-out with one out, before junior
Andrew Possi approached the plate. Possi smacked a double to left field that scored Bryant, giving UMD a 6-2 lead after seven.
Nathan Potter relieved fellow sophomore
Adam Maher in the bottom of the seventh inning. Maher had a great start on the mound once again for the Corsairs, allowing just six hits and striking out nine. Potter and junior
Kevin Moszkowicz combined to close out the next two innings.
In the top of the ninth with a comfortable 6-2 lead, two batters were retired when junior
Jared Neikam walked up to the plate. Neikam launched a homerun down the right field line to add to UMass Dartmouth's late lead.
In the home team's last chance to rally and come back, sophomore
Andrew Steinhubel took the mound for the save attempt. Steinhubel retired the side in 1-2-3 fashion, earning his second save of the season and closing out the conference battle with UMass Dartmouth on top, 7-2.
The Corsairs saw Possi go 2-for-5 at the plate with three RBI's. Perron and Bryant each scored twice to go with two hits. Bryant knocked home two RBI's and Perron knocked home one. Vezina led the team with three hits in his five at bats and scored two runs. Junior
Matt Tempone was 3-for-5 at the plate, and Neikam homered in the ninth. Maher (4-1) earns his fourth win of the season. Steinhubel (S, 2) was credited the save.
For UMass Boston, freshman Justin Gouveia and senior Aidan Blake led the way with three hits and an RBI, each. Shouldering the loss on the mound for the Beacons was sophomore Ross Dexter (3-2).
UMass Dartmouth returns to Boston on Thursday, this time to face off with Suffolk in non-conference action. The Corsairs will face the Rams at 3:30 PM.
