April 17, 2009
Box Score
WALTHAM, MA - Senior centerfielder Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, NH) racked up four hits, including a pair of doubles and drove in three runs to lead the Keene State College baseball team over host University of Massachusetts Boston, 14-10, today in a Little East Conference game at Yetten Field in Waltham, MA. The Beacons fall to 11-16 overall and 3-3 in LEC play, despite scoring in double-digits for a school-record ninth straight contest, while the Owls improve to 15-10 and 4-4.
Keene State jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings of play after scoring twice in each of the first and second innings and five times in the top of the third. Perkins led off the game with a double down the left field line and scored on a monstrous blast over the right center field fence for junior third baseman Keith Patnode's fourth home run of the season to give the visitors a 2-0 margin. Freshman shortstop Kyle Morrill (Auburn, NH) knocked in a run with a ground out in the second and a Perkins' single to left field brought in the fourth run of the afternoon for the Owls. A pair of two-run singles by senior first baseman Beau Darak (Londonderry, NH) and Perkins in addition to a run scoring on a wild pitch gave Keene State the 9-0 advantage.
UMass Boston responded with three runs in the bottom of the third when junior left fielder Drew Tambling (Sterling, MA) reached on a bunt single and freshman right fielder Ty Buccetti (Wallingford, CT) followed with a walk to set up an RBI single up the middle off the bat of freshman center fielder Mark McCormack (Shelton, CT) to put the home team on the board. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Walsh (Newton, MA) followed with a run-scoring single to right field and sophomore catcher Tim Fontaine (Worcester, MA) cut the deficit to 9-3 with an RBI ground out. The Beacons rallied for three more runs in the fourth when sophomore shortstop Dan Noonan (Westport, MA) smacked a leadoff single to right field and later scored on a double down the left field line by sophomore first baseman Connor Reinfurt (Manchester, NH) to make it 9-4. McCormack later singled to center field to plate two more runs and pull UMB to within 9-6.
The Owls crossed the plate four times in the sixth for the deciding runs they would need when Perkins opened the frame with a double and senior second baseman Jamie Chevalier (Amherst, NH) traded places with him with a double of his own and then scored when Patnode hit a fly ball to right field that was not handled by the UMass Boston right fielder. Sophomore right fielder Bobby Doyon (Keene, NH) followed with a single to left to make it 12-6 and sophomore catcher Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, CT) made it a seven-run cushion with an RBI triple to right center field. The Beacons answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning when McCormack and Walsh registered back-to-back sacrifice flies to center field to cut the margin to 13-8.
Keene State tacked on its final run of the day on a run-producing double down the right field line from Patnode to give the Owls a 14-8 lead, but UMass Boston closed the deficit to 14-10 when senior designated hitter Eric Salvador (Middleboro, MA) laced a two-out single through the left side and then trotted home ahead of Noonan's second homer of the season on a shot over the right field fence, but it would be all of the scoring for either team for the day.
Junior reliever Ben Sonberg (3-2) picked up the win for Keene State, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk to go with four strikeouts in five and a third innings of relief, while junior starting pitcher Danny Gomez (East Boston, MA) (1-2) took the loss for the Beacons after yielding nine runs on nine hits and two walks in addition to a strikeout in three innings of work.
Chevalier, Patnode, DiPrato and Darak all collected a pair of hits for the Owls with Patnode driving in three runs as well. McCormack went 2-4 with four RBI to lead UMass Boston, while Noonan rapped out three hits and drove in a pair of runs and Reinfurt and Tambling each collected a pair of hits.
The Beacons will be in action again tomorrow when they host Western Connecticut State University in a noon Little East Conference doubleheader at Yetten Field in Waltham, MA, while Keene State hosts Eastern Connecticut State University also at noon.
