MANSFIELD, Conn. – Powered by a five-hit, one run complete game from sophomore pitcher Adam Maher, the UMass Dartmouth baseball team split action at its road doubleheader against nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut. The Corsairs posted a 3-1 victory in game two, while the Warriors were 11-1 winners in game one. UMD advances to 12-10 on the season with a 3-3 conference record, while EastConn - ranked #5 by D3Baseball.com and #6 by CollegeBaseball - is 19-5 overall and 5-1 in the Little East after suffering their first loss to a conference opponent.
In the game two victory, it was a pitcher's game as Maher shined. Maher had pitched a shutout and had allowed just three hits prior to the ninth inning, where the Warriors would score their only run. Maher faced 35 batters over nine innings and struck out 10 in his efforts. The scoring for the Corsairs in game two came early, scoring their three runs in the third and fourth innings.
Offensively, UMD was led by junior T.J. Keefe in game two. He had two hits, a walk, and scored once. Freshman Jacob Moniz also earned two hits for the game, and fellow freshman Geordan Jackson Murphy smacked an RBI double in the fourth inning. Maher (3-1) earns his third victory of the season, perhaps none more impressive than this one over the ranked Warriors.
Game one had a much different story, as the Warriors got ahead early and never looked back. Game one concluded after seven innings via run rule. Senior Ryan Qualey (1-2) shouldered his second loss of the season on the mound for UMass Dartmouth. Also seeing time on the mound was sophomore Nick Pappas.
The Corsairs struggled to generate offense against Eastern Connecticut's sophomore pitcher Matthew Wootton (4-0) in game one. The Corsairs saw two hits from junior Andrew Possi and senior Andrew Bryant. Bryant's game included an RBI single in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Devyn Vezina was 1-for-1 from the plate with a walk. Vezina scored UMD's only run of game one.
Wooton earned the victory for the Warriors and struck out five batters in his efforts. Offensively, they were led by senior Matt Malcolm who had four hits, including a double and a homerun with three RBI's. Brent Cosculluela also added two hits, including a double and a triple with two RBI's.
The Corsairs return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Rhode Island College for an LEC matchup with the Anchormen. First pitch is set for 3:30pm.
