May 9, 2010
Box Score
Providence, RI - Five players collected a pair of hits and freshman pitcher Daniel Heefner (Tracy, CA) did not allow an earned run in three innings to lead the University of Massachusetts Boston baseball team to a 16-6 victory over Rhode Island College in teh second game of a Little East Conference doubleheader today at Anchormen Field in Providence, RI. The win salvaged a split as the Anchormen took the opener, 6-2.
The Beacons are now 24-15 overall, including 8-6 in LEC play, while Rhode Island College is 21-16 and 8-6. The twinbill was originally scheduled as a home date for UMass Boston to be played at Yetten Field in Waltham, MA, but was moved to Providence due to unplayable field conditions, but the Beacons remained as the home team. The teams will not wait long to play each other again as they square off in the first round of the LEC Tournament at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12 in Mansfield, CT at the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball stadium. Eastern Connecticut is the host school as the number one seed, while the Anchormen are the number three seed and UMass Boston is the fourth seed.
In game one, the Beacons took a 1-0 lead in the first, putting runners on second and third with two out against Hoey. Junior catcher Tim Fontaine (Worcester, MA) brought in the contest¹s first run with an RBI ground out to shortstop.
The Anchormen responded with a six-run third, capitalizing on two Beacon errors. Sophomore shortstop Kyle Allaire (Uxbridge, MA) got the rally started with a two-run single. Junior designated hitter Gary Levesque (East Providence, RI) singled in Allaire and sophomore third baseman J.P. Stone (Narragansett, RI) came home on an error. An RBI double by senior first baseman Tim Schabowski (Pascoag, RI) and a run-producing single by junior left fielder Ronnie Bracchi (Wappinger Falls, RI) ended the frame¹s scoring.
The Beacons got one run back in the sixth when junior second baseman smacked his school-record 19th double of the season with one out and later scored on an RBI fielder's choice by junior first baseman Connor Reinfurt (Manchester, NH. UMass Boston once again put runners on the corners, but Stone made a nice running play to his right to gun down junior right fielder Jose Roman Santos (Tenares, DR) by a step to end the inning.
With one down in the seventh, UMB sophomore third baseman Mike Mattei (Spencer, MA) made a highlight diving catch to his right off a Levesque liner. Mattei was able to get up and fire over to first to complete a double play before RIC senior center fielder Jared Rossi (Johnston, RI) could get back to the bag.
Freshman starting pitcher David Hoey (Lincoln, RI) earned the win (2-2) for the Anchormen, allowing just two runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits in six innings of work. Junior Matt Thadeio (West Greenwich, RI) hurled three innings of scoreless relief to earn his third save.
UMass Boston senior starter Mike Andriano (Massapequa, NY) had a solid outing, allowing just one earned run on 10 hits to go along with five strikeouts in eight innings in the loss (0-3). The lefthander moves into fifth on the UMB all-time innings pitched list with 188 and fourth with 130 career strikeouts.
Walsh drew a walk in the first inning to tie the Beacons' single-season and career record. The bases on balls was his 24th of the season to match Chris King's (2002-05) mark from 2005 and sophomore teammate Mark McCormack's (Shelton, CT) record from last year. It was the 55th of his tenure to match Dan Duggan (1993, 1995-97).
In game two, Allaire manufactured a run in the top of the first as he led off with a walk, stole second, was moved over to third on a Stone ground out and scored on a wild pitch.
The Anchormen tacked on two more runs in the second to make it 3-0. Bracchi tripled to center field with one away and scored on sophomore right fielder Mike Nadiger¹s (Warwick, RI) single to right center. After freshman second baseman Greg Palmer (East Greenwich, RI) walked, sophomore catcher Joseph Stutts (Manchester, CT) laced a single to right to plate Nadiger.
The Beacons tagged RIC sophomore starter Mike DeWald (Hope Valley, RI) for three runs on three hits in the third to tie the game, 3-3. Santos led off with a hustle double up the middle and scored on freshman shortstop Matt Consiglio (Southbury, CT) follow-up double down the left field line. Senior left fielder Drew Tambling (Sterling, MA) contributed an RBI single and Walsh plated the equalizer on a ground out to third.
With one away in the fourth, Stutts walked and a hit and run double by Allaire put runners on the corners, which chased UMB senior starter Andrew LeBrun (Stoneham, MA) from the game. Stone then flew out deep to right field off of freshman reliever Tom Cole (Mattapoisett, MA) to bring in Stutts with the go ahead run. After Rossi was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners, Levesque fisted a single to right field to give RIC back the advantage, 5-3.
UMass Boston took a commanding, 10-5, lead in the fifth. The Beacons scored seven times and took advantage of two Anchormen errors in the frame. Senior designated hitter Jeff Outzen (San Mateo, CA) knocked in a pair of runs with a hard single past the first baseman and Walsh and Reinfurt smacked RBI singles, while Tambling came home on a wild pitch and Consiglio hit a sacrifice fly. DeWald was chased from the game during the inning and gave way to freshman reliever Cameron Cash (Dover, NH).
The Anchormen got one run back in the sixth to cut the deficit to four runs, 10-6, on a Levesque sacrifice fly.
UMB loaded the bases in the sixth with no outs on a single and a pair of hit batsmen, bringing in sophomore reliever Cory Madore (Carver, MA). Reinfurt made RIC pay as he hammered the second pitch he saw into left field to bring in two. Mattei brought in another with an RBI ground out to second. An errant throw attempting to cut down a Santos' steal attempt short-hopped second base and allowed Reinfurt to score. RIC turned to junior reliever Eric Blanchard (Warwick, RI), who got the Anchormen out of the jam.
UMass Boston sophomore center fielder Mark McCormack (Shelton, CT) led off the seventh with his fourth homer of the year, which resulted in his 100th career run scored to become only the third player in school history to reach the century mark. Walsh followed with a triple and Fontaine ended the game via the 10-run rule with an RBI single up the middle to score Walsh.
Heefner (Tracy, CA) improved to 3-1 with the win in relief, allowing just one unearned run on one hit and one walk, while fanning two in three innings of work. DeWald took the loss (2-1).
Levesque went 3-for-7 with three RBI, a run scored and a double on the day for RIC, while Allaire also picked up three knocks to go along with three runs scored, a double and a pair of RBI.
Mattei, (3-for-7), Walsh (3-for-7) and Tambling (3-for-8) led seven Beacons with multiple hits. Walsh added four runs scored, a double, triple and two RBI.
