DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth baseball team opened their Little East Conference schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Western Connecticut State University on Saturday. The Corsairs posted a 7-1 victory in game one, followed by a 10-2 win in game two to improve to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in the LEC. The Wolves slip to 4-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Game one saw junior right hander
Ray Boutiette steal the show as he pitched a complete game, going 9.0 innings with one run allowed on 10 hits, posting one strikeout with 55 pitches thrown.
WestConn opened the game's scoring in the top of the first as with a runner on second, catcher Nicholas Moeller grounded out to second, but centerfielder Jayson Hannah hurried around the bases to cross the plate for the first run. In the Corsairs half of the inning, graduate student catcher
Matt Tempone answered, sending a hard hit ball through the right side to drive home graduate student designated hitter
Joe Muzio and junior centerfielder
Brett Baker for the 2-1 advantage.
A single down the left field line by senior second baseman
Devyn Vezina, coupled with a single to second from Muzio, saw two more runs come across as UMD opened a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, the Corsairs saw senior left fielder
Liam Blesi clear the bases, tripling to left field for the 7-1 lead.
Blesi led the way with three runs batted in, while Baker was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Vezina went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Tempone added two runs batted in on a hit. The Corsairs also recorded seven stolen bases in the contest, paced by Muzio and senior right fielder
Scott Cromack, who each had two.
In game two, the visiting Wolves once again took an early lead in the top of the second, but UMD countered with a monster seven-run set in the bottom of the frame. With bases loaded, Vezina was hit by a pitch, walking in a run to tie the game. Baker stepped up to the plate, belting a grand slam home run over the left field wall to open up a 5-1 advantage.
Later, with two runners on, Tempone singled down the left field line as both runners came in to move the advantage to 7-1. In the top of the fourth, right fielder Charles Mulhall sent a home run of his own over the left field wall, closing the gap to 7-2.
In the Corsairs half of the inning, senior third baseman
Jake San Antonio drove in a run on a single to left, while later – with bases loaded – San Antonio scored on a wild pitch. A single to the shortstop in the bottom of the fifth by Blesi saw another run cross for the final 10-2 margin.
On the hill, starter
Ian-James McCasland went 4.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Sophomore
Dillon Harding earned the victory, going 2.0 innings with no runs or hits allowed as he struck out two batters. Junior
Aidan O'Donnell pitched 2.0 innings of relief with one hit allowed and five strikeouts, while classmate
Geordan Jackson Murphy threw the final inning, striking out a batter.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on March 27, traveling to Suffolk University for a 3:30pm contest against the Rams.
