DAVENPORT, Fla. – The UMass Dartmouth Baseball team begin their RussMatt Invitational schedule 0-2, dropping both games of a doubleheader to Clark University. After falling 9-2 in game one, the Corsairs fell short in an electric extra-inning game in the late slot, 5-4. The Corsairs move to 1-4 overall, while the Cougars remain perfect at 9-0.
In the nightcap against the Cougars, junior pitcher
Adam Maher had another great outing on the mound. After giving up a two-run homer in the first inning to Clark sophomore Michael Soares, Maher was nearly perfect, retiring six of the next seven batters. Maher went five innings, allowed two runs on six hits with eight strikeouts.
Maher kept the Cougars at two as the Corsairs brought in two runs in the fourth inning to even the score. Freshman
Nick Bartalini got on base on a throwing error, before advancing to third on a single off the bat of junior
Chris Kustigian. Bartalini then scored on a sac fly from senior Matt Klett. Kustigian was able to steal home as grad student
Joe Muzio took second base, evening the contest at 2-2 through four innings.
The bullpen stepped up for both squads, as neither team scored through the scheduled seven-innings, forcing extras. The Corsairs bats got hot in the top of the eight inning. Senior
T.J. Keefe got things going with a single up the middle, followed by another single up the middle from grad student
Anthony Keefe. After both batters advanced on a wild pitch, Muzio was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out.
Two Corsairs found their way to the plate on a fielding error on the Clark catcher. With runners on second and third with one out, senior
Andrew Possi hit a long foul ball that was caught, allowing Muzio to tag up and score on the play. UMass Dartmouth took a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the eight.
The Cougars responded in a big way. With a runner on second and two outs, Clark rallied for four-straight runs, capped off by Junior Tyler Jones scoring on a fielding error. UMass Dartmouth fell, 6-5, in eight innings.
Game one saw the Cougars jump out to an 8-0 advantage through five and a half innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Kustigian hit a two-RBI single that brought in freshman
Cooper Wixon and junior
Scott Cromack. Clark knocked in another run in the seventh, as the Cougars defeated UMD 9-2.
Grad student pitcher
Ryan Qualey shouldered the loss. In 4.1 innings of work, he allowed six runs on eight hits with two strikeouts, while senior
Will Pacheco went two innings, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
UMass Dartmouth is right back at it on Sunday with a nine-inning contest against Saint Joseph. The Corsairs will face the Blue Jays at 12:45pm in Davenport, Florida.
