DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Keene State College used solid hitting and strong pitching to post a doubleheader sweep of UMass Dartmouth on Friday in Little East action. The Owls improve to 18-14 overall and 10-3 in conference play with the 4-1 and 8-0 victories, while the Corsairs are now 15-16 and 7-6 in the LEC.
Prior to the first contest, the Corsairs celebrated their graduating class, which included grad students
Matt Tempone and
Joe Muzio, along with seniors
Scott Cromack,
Devyn Vezina,
Nathan Potter,
Chris Kustigian,
Nick Pappas,
Josh Malcolm and
Kyle McNeff.
Game one was a pitcher's duel through the first seven innings of the game as Corsairs starter
Ray Boutiette and Owls hurler Jake Jachym allowed no runs and just a combined eight hits during the stretch. It was the Owls that broke open the contest in the top of the eighth as catcher Evan Cali singled to third, followed by a single by shortstop Evan McCue to put runners on first and second.
A single down the left field line from center fielder Tommy Ahlers brought home a run, while a single to left from Shea Zine drove in another score to put the visitors up by a 4-0 margin. The Corsairs worked to get back into the game but were shut down until the bottom of the ninth when senior right fielder
Scott Cromack homered over the left field wall.
Senior second baseman
Devyn Vezina went 2-for-4 in the game, while junior left fielder
Liam Blesi was 1-for-3. Cromack posted a 1-for-4 effort with a run scored and an RBI. Boutiette shouldered the loss, allowing four runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts over 7.2 innings. Junior
Carter Scovill came on to close out the eighth, while senior
Nick Pappas pitched the final inning, allowing no runs on two hits with a strikeout.
Game two once again saw a pitching battle through three innings until the Owls broke through in the top of the fourth. A home run to left by Ahlers, coupled with a single through the left side by Zina helped Keene State bring two across.
The Owls answered in the top of the sixth, plating two more runs for a 4-0 advantage. The Corsairs saw a bases loaded opportunity in the bottom of the frame as sophomore center fielder
Marcus Ollivierre singled, followed by back to back walks to Cromack and Vezina, but KSC made the switch on the mound as junior David Floyd came on to strikeout the final two batters.
Keene opened up a 6-0 advantage after seven and the Corsairs once again saw runners on with two outs, but Floyd got the advantage of the fielder's choice as UMD's runner to second was out to end the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, the home team once again had a solid chance with runners on second and third with two outs, but grad student first baseman
Matt Tempone went down swinging to end the threat.
The Owls tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth and the Corsairs once again had a runner on after a single up the middle from senior
Kyle McNeff, but the Owls got sophomore shortstop
Cooper Wixon to ground into the 6-4-3 double play to end the contest.
UMass Dartmouth saw starter
AJ Rourke shoulder the loss, allowing two runs on four hits over 4.0 innings of work. He recorded four strikeouts. Junior Aiden O'Donnell pitched 2.0 innings with two runs allowed on three hits plus a strikeout, while sophomores
Jordan Paradis and
Dillon Harding each pitched in the seventh. Junior
Geordan Jackson Murphy pitched the seventh, striking out all three batters he faced, while senior
Josh Malcolm threw the ninth, with two runs allowed on two hits.
The Corsairs are back in action on Tuesday, welcoming Rhode Island College to Corsairs Field at 3:30pm in the final regular season home game of 2025.
