BOSTON, Mass. – Powered by a phenomenal three-hit shutout from grad student pitcher
Anthony Keefe, the UMass Dartmouth baseball team defeated Eastern Connecticut, 4-0 on Friday. The Corsairs move on to face top-seeded UMass Boston this afternoon, while the Warriors will wait to face Keene State in the nightcap.
The contest started as a pitching showcase from both sides, with no runs coming in through the first six innings of action.
Anthony Keefe was outstanding, allowing shutting out the Warriors on just three hits with three strikeouts and only one walk. He had arguably his best showing on the mound this year, in the biggest game of the season thus far.
The Corsairs struck first in the seventh inning with an electric four runs to take a 4-0 advantage. With one out in the inning, freshman infielder
Nick Bartalini pinch ran and used his speed to impact the game. Bartalini advanced all the way to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a pass ball. Junior first baseman
Jake SanAntonio kept the momentum going with a double off the left center field wall. A base hit from senior catcher
T.J. Keefe followed by a bunt-single from junior right fielder
Scott Cromack to load up the bases.
With the bases loaded and one out, freshman shortstop
Cooper Wixon brought in a run with a sac fly to left field that allowed all three baserunners to tag up and advance. With two outs and runners on second and third, sophomore center fielder
Brett Baker took a walk, loading the bases for junior second baseman
Devyn Vezina. Vezina's first hit of the day was a huge one, with a two-RBI base hit to right field. The Corsairs led 4-0 after seven innings of play.
Anthony Keefe continued to dominate on the mound to close out the game, retiring six of the last seven ECSU batters. The Corsairs took the 4-0 victory and move on to the winners bracket final against UMass Boston.
From the plate, UMass Dartmouth was led by
T.J. Keefe, who went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Vezina went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, while Cromack went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Warriors' junior pitcher Matthew Wootton shouldered the loss. He allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits with five strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work. From the plate, Eastern saw senior first baseman Ryan Parent record two of their three hits, with the other coming from senior third baseman Tiernan Lynch.
The UMass Dartmouth Baseball team turns around to face top-seed and host of the LEC Tournament UMass Boston at 3:30pm. Eastern Connecticut waits to face Keene State in an elimination game at 7:00pm this evening.
