WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The UMass Dartmouth baseball team split a doubleheader on Saturday at Chain O'Lakes Park, defeating Coe College, 7-6 in game two. They fell to the Koehawks in game one by a 10-3 score. The Corsairs are now 4-8 on the young season.
Game two action saw the Corsairs open an early lead, grabbing a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first. The inning got going with a walk to rookie shortstop
Jayden Cruz. Following an out, graduate student first baseman
Spencer Aubin singled through the right side and a single through the left side by senior left fielder
Liam Blesi drove in Cruz from third.
A single up the middle with two outs from rookie second baseman
Carlos Reyes put the Corsairs up by the two-run margin. The Koehawks answered in the bottom of the frame as a hit by pitch to Jack Casey was followed by a throwing error to allow him to go to third. With two outs on the board, Luke Schieltz reached on a throwing error as the runner came home for the 2-1 score.
On the next at-bat, Jon Willie singled through the left side as Schieltz scored to tie the game at 2-2. In the second inning, Cruz answered once again for the Corsairs, reaching on a throwing error as junior right fielder
Marcus Ollivierre came in to give UMD the lead. Aubin then singled up the middle, bringing in another run for the 4-2 lead.
UMass Dartmouth continued to capitalize in the top of the third as rookie third baseman
Tommy Caporaso tripled to right center to bring in a run, while a single through the right side by Cruz brought in both runners to move the score to 7-2.
The Koehawks worked to make a comeback in the bottom of the sixth as an RBI double to left from Ryan Thoreson brought home a run, which was followed by a two-run single up the middle to narrow the margin to 7-5. Coe countered once again in the bottom of the seventh as a single through the left side drove in another run (7-6), forcing the Corsairs to head to the bullpen once again.
Senior
Aidan O'Donnell stepped onto the mound, closing out the game with a pair of strikeouts to record the final two outs.
Junior hurler
Jordan Paradis picked up the win, pitching 5.0 innings. He allowed two runs (0 earned) on four hits with a career-high 15 strikeouts and just three walks. Classmate
Dillon Harding came on in relief, pitching 1.1 innings with four runs (three earned) allowed on four hits with three strikeouts. O'Donnell finished the game out with the two K's to earn the save.
Aubin was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while San Antonio was 1-for-4 with a run scored. Ollivierre was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, while Reyes was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
In game one, the Corsairs trailed early as the Koehawks plated six runs through the opening four innings. Trailing 6-0, the Corsairs got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as junior third baseman
Nick Bartalini banked a home run over the left field wall.
Coe drove in two more runs in the top of the fifth, but a sacrifice fly from senior designated hitter
Jake San Antonio brought home
Brett Baker to close the gap to 8-2. The visitors brought two more runs across in the sixth and the seventh inning saw UMD add their third run as Bartalini was hit by pitch with bases loaded and two outs on the board.
Despite the momentum, the Corsairs were unable to get closer as Coe struck out the next Corsairs batter to end the game.
For the game, senior first baseman
Spencer Aubin went 3-for-3, while Bartalini was 1-for-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in. Junior shortstop
Cooper Wixon also had a hit and a run scored. Junior lefty
Kolby Pascarelli shouldered the loss, going 3.0 innings with six runs allowed on six hits with two strikeouts. Senior
Seamus Marshall came on in relief for 2.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with a pair of K's. Hurler
Dane LeBert went 1.0 innings with two runs (1 earned) allowed on one hit with a strikeouts, while senior
Ryan Jackson pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two batters.
The Corsairs are back in action on Sunday, taking on Worcester State at 2pm at the Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida.
