AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Powered by a multi-RBI performance from four different Corsairs at the plate, the UMass Dartmouth baseball team split a doubleheader with Widener University on Tuesday in Auburndale, Florida. The Corsairs won game one by a 16-7 margin, shouldering a tough 10-4 loss in game two.
In the first game against the Pride, Corsairs freshman hurler
Jordan Paradis earned the start. In his first collegiate start on the mound, Paradis went four innings, allowing six runs on six hits with two strikeouts, enough to collect his first win of the season. UMass Dartmouth jumped out to an early lead thanks to a six-run second inning that featured a three-run homer off the bat of senior DH
Jared Neikam.
The bats for UMass Dartmouth stayed hot, as they added another three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. The fourth inning saw sophomore outfielder
Brett Baker get on base first, scoring on a single from senior
Devyn Vezina. With Vezina and junior outfielder
Sam Laurie on base, grad student first baseman
Joe Muzio crushed a two-RBI double that scored both runners.
Widener responded in the bottom of the fourth with three runs on their own, before the Corsairs separated to a 12-6 lead after another three runs in the fifth. Standout freshman shortstop
Cooper Wixon came to the plate with the bases loaded and capitalized with a one-out single to bring in junior left fielder
Chance Checca. Two more Corsairs scored on a pinch-hit groundout from freshman
Nick Bartalini.
The Corsairs put the exclamation point on the game in the top of the seventh, driving in four more runs including a two-RBI double from senior catcher
Matt Tempone. UMass Dartmouth took game one by a 16-7 margin.
Freshman hurler
Dillon Harding had another great showing in relief for the Corsairs. In three innings of work, he allowed just one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Harding recorded his first save of the season as Paradis was credited the win.
Game two saw the Pride jump out to a 4-1 advantage through the opening two innings, including a four-run second inning that features a two-RBI single from senior catcher Brendon Raven. UMass Dartmouth responded in the bottom of the third with a three-run inning that evened things up at 4-4. The Corsairs saw a two-RBI single from senior third baseman
Andrew Possi that drove in seniors
Tre Coleman and
T.J. Keefe.
Widener was able to pull away after another four-run inning in the top of the fourth. The fourth inning saw Pride senior Alex Savkov hit an RBI triple before being knocked in on a double from classmate Xavier Ruley. Widener went on to take game two by a score of 10-4.
The Corsairs used a rotation of pitchers in game two, with sophomore
AJ Rourke earning his first-career start. Sophomore
Aidan O'Donnell had the longest stay on the mound, going 2.2 innings where he allowed one run on one hit with six strikeouts.
The UMass Dartmouth Baseball team has a day off on Wednesday before returning to action on Thursday against Rutgers-Camden. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15pm in Davenport, Florida.
