DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Powered by a go-ahead run in the eighth inning of game one and a flurry of runs in game two, the UMass Dartmouth baseball team took both ends of an LEC twin bill with VTSU Castleton on Saturday, taking game one by a score of 3-2 before taking game two 11-2. The Corsairs improve to 15-12-1 overall and remain perfect in conference play at 7-0. The Spartans slide to 3-23 overall and are still winless in LEC play at 0-6.
In a low-scoring game one, it was VTSU Castleton who claimed an early lead after scoring a run in both the first and second innnigs. While trailing 2-1, sophomore center fielder
Brett Baker responded with a lead-off triple to start the third inning. He was drove in right away by junior second baseman
Devyn Vezina. The score would remain tied at 2-2 for the next four innings of action. Grad student pitcher
Ryan Qualey started on the mound for the Corsairs, he went 6.0 innings and allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out five. Sophomore reliever
Geordan Jackson Murphy took over in the seventh and was credited the win, going 1.2 innnings and allowing just one hit and striking out two.
In the eighth inning with the score tied, Baker got on first after being walked with two outs. Baker did it all himself, stealing second base before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Then, on a bad throw to third from the Spartans' catcher, Baker was able to score the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run. Sophomore pitcher
Aidan O'Donnell earned his first save of the season by retiring four batters, all by strikeout. UMass Dartmouth took game one, 3-2.
Game two saw junior pitcher
Adam Maher have yet another great outing. In 6.0 innings of work, Maher allowed just two runs (one earned) on four hits with 11 strikeouts. His performance marks the fourth time this season that he has recorded 10 or more strikeouts.
The Corsairs pulled away early in the second contest, starting with three runs in the second. After a back-to-back singles to lead off the inning from senior DH
Jared Neikam and junior first baseman
Jake SanAntonio, both runners were drove in by a one-out double to center field off the bat of grad student outfielder
Anthony Keefe. Keefe was able to score himself on a hard single down the right field line from freshman shortstop
Cooper Wixon.
While leading 3-1, the Corsairs pulled away further in the fifth inning. They brought in four more runs in the fifth, highlighted by a pair of doubles from Vezina and senior catcher
T.J. Keefe. The Corsairs went into the eighth inning leading 7-2, and widened the gap with another three runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth, as UMD went on to win 11-2.
The Corsairs utilized their bullpen in game two, with three pitchers besides Maher giving an inning from the mound. The trio of senior
Chase Carey, freshman
Aidan Newhall and freshman
Jacob Rosati threw 1.0 innings each, allowing a combined no runs on two hits with four total strikeouts. Nine different batters recorded hits from the plate, with five players having multiple-hit days.
Anthony Keefe led the way, going 2-for-5 with three RBI's and a run. Vezina was 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice. Baker went 2-for-5 from the plate with an RBI and a run. Neikam and SanAntonio each recorded two hits and scored two runs.
UMass Dartmouth baseball is back to it on Tuesday, hosting Rhode Island College for matchup at the top of the Little East Standings. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30pm in Dartmouth.
