DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Behind consistent hitting and solid pitching throughout, the UMass Dartmouth baseball team posted a 6-4 Little East victory over Rhode Island College on Tuesday afternoon. The Corsairs move to 16-16 overall and 8-6 in conference play, while the Anchormen are now 13-20 and 6-8 in the Little East.
The visitors opened the game's scoring as senior designated hitter Lucas Pierce singled to third to bring home a run. UMass Dartmouth responded in the bottom of the second as a two-run double to left field off the bat of senior right fielder
Scott Cromack, drove home both sophomore shortstop
Cooper Wixon and rookie designated hitter
Mike Maselli for the 2-1 advantage.Â
In the bottom of the fifth, the Corsairs tacked on two more runs as a double to right center from senior second baseman Devyn Vezine brought home sophomore center fielder
Marcus Ollivierre - who had been hit by a pitch before stealing second - to push UMD ahead by two (3-1). Graduate student first baseman
Joe Muzio then singled through the right side, bringing Vezina home for the 4-1 margin after five.
A sacrifice fly to right by fifth-year shortstop Izaiah Rivera closed the gap in the top of the sixth to 4-2, but Cromack answered once again for the Corsairs in the their half of the eighth as he singled through the left side. The play and subsequent throw, saw Cromack advance to second as both Wixon and pinch runner
Cole Whitehead came across for the 6-2 advantage.
In the top of the ninth, the Anchormen looked to make a comeback as fifth-year catcher David Iannuccili reached on a fielder's choice with a throwing error by the UMD first baseman allowing Rivera to score. Rhode Island added another run on the next play, but junior hurler
Geordan Jackson Murphy preserved his second save of the season, getting fifth year right fielder Justin Wardwell to ground out to second to end the game.
Cromack went 2-for-4 in the game with four runs batted in, while Vezina was 3-for-5 on the afternoon with a run scored and an RBI. Wixon also had a solid effort, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Sophomore
Dillon Harding earned the victory, improving to 3-1 on the season after going 5.0 innings. He allowed just one run on four hits with five strikeouts. Junior
Aidan O'Donnell came on for 2.0 innings of relief, allowing a run with two strikeouts, while Jackson Murphy posted his second save of the season, going 2.0 innings with two runs allowed on two hits with four strikeouts.
UMass Dartmouth returns to action on Thursday, traveling to Bristol, R.I., for a 3:30pm non-conference tilt against Roger Williams. The Corsairs then play on Friday with a critical match-up at Eastern Connecticut State in the regular season finale for both teams. Action gets underway at 12pm in Willimantic with game two beginning around 3pm.Â
