Box Score BOSTON, Mass. – A nine run fifth inning powered the #6 Western Connecticut State University baseball team past #1 Baseball 17-14, Friday evening in a three-hour, 49-minute marathon nine-inning elimination game. The Colonials advance to the LEC championship series and improve to 22-19 on the year while the Beacons fall to 28-14 overall.
THE BASICS
#6 Western Connecticut State 17, #1 UMass Boston 14
(UMass Boston 28-14)
(Western Conn. St. 22-19)
HOW IT HAPPENED
After scoring just 11 combined runs in their first three games, the Colonials rode a nine-run fifth and used their top two starters in relief, to hold off a frantic Beacons' rally.
The Colonials struck first with a two-RBI double to left center by designated hitter Nick Delotto to give Western Connecticut an early 2-0 lead. Delotto gave the Beacons trouble in the opening game of the tournament as well, going 4-for-4 with a homer in a 4-3 win for WCSU.
UMB junior shortstop Dave Murphy (Plymouth, Mass.) erased the deficit with his second homer in as many games, depositing a three-run blast to centerfield for his ninth shot of the year and third of the Little East Conference tournament to make it a 3-2 game. Junior catcher Anthony Searles (Shelton, Conn.) kept the inning going with a single and would score the fourth UMass Boston run in the frame on an RBI groundout by freshman first baseman Charlie Huegi (Sandy Hook, Conn.) to give UMass Boston an early 4-2 cushion in the third inning.
In the fourth, UMB centerfielder Sal Frosceno (Derby, Conn.) made a web-gem catch in center for the first out of the inning. The sophomore made an over the shoulder diving grab heading towards the warning track on a deep driven ball by junior Frank Vartuli, robbing the junior of extra bases. The out would prove to be huge as Western Connecticut State stranded two runners in scoring position when sophomore Bryan Kaufman (Farmingdale, N.Y.) got the inning-ending strikeout to keep it 4-2 heading into the fifth.
Western Connecticut State put the first two runners on in the fifth to put the pressure on Kaufman and the Beacons. A leadoff walk followed by a hit and run single from sophomore Bill Buscetto put runners on the corners with no outs. Up next, senior centerfield Chris Callahan delivered a shot down the right field line for an RBI double to pull the Colonials to within one at 4-3, moving the tying run to third while representing the go-ahead run at second. That ended the night for Kaufman who worked four innings and gave way to freshman James Leidhold (Mattapoisett, Mass.). The big lefty was welcomed to the game with a single to center by senior Matt Greene, driving in Buscetto to even the score at 4-4.
Still in the fifth, a walk issued to junior shortstop EJ Lavoie loaded the bags and also closed the book on Leidhold in favor of sophomore relief pitcher Steve Witkowski (Pittsfield, Mass.). Witkowski opened his appearance handing out a bases loaded walk followed by a hit by pitch to bump the Colonials lead to 6-4, still with no outs in the frame. Another bases loaded walk issued to Zach Sagar made it 7-4 before a check-swing single by senior John Kelly bumped the lead to 8-4.
The hits just kept on coming in the 45 minute half inning for WCSU as an infield single just past the mound by Buscetto moved the score to 9-4. Greene picked up another RBI getting hit by an inside fastball to force in the eighth Colonial run of the inning to make it a 10-4 game. The sixth walk of the inning by UMass Boston pitching forced in the 11th run of the contest before UMB freshman closer Manny Garcia (Boston, Mass.), the fifth pitcher of the inning for UMass Boston, got out of the inning trailing 11-4.
The Beacons chipped away in the top of the sixth getting two runs to pull the score to 11-6. A walk by senior Bryan Dupre (Chicopee, Mass.) followed by an RBI-triple to center by Frosceno made it 11-5. A walk issued to pinch hitter Ryan Olivo (Rochester, N.Y.) was the last batter Santiago faced, being replaced by freshman closer Taylor Donofrio (Terryville, Conn.). A wild pitch by Donofrio allowed Frosceno to scamper home and make it a five run game at 11-6 before retiring the side.
Back-to-back opposite field triples in the bottom of the sixth inning by Sagar and junior Joe Costa moved the score to 12-6. Costa would come in to score on a sac fly to deep center by Kelly to get the lead back to seven heading into the seventh inning.
UMass Boston continued to fight, pushing across two more runs in the seventh to cut the lead to 13-8. Frosceno drove in the Beacon's seventh run on an infield RBI single and the eighth run came around following a WSCU error to make it a five run game.
The Colonials offensive show continued in the seventh with three more hits including an RBI single to left by Lavoie and a two-run jack to center by Vartuli to bump the lead to 16-8. The home run was the third of the season for Vartuli and forced UMass Boston to go to their seventh pitcher of the night.
Three walks and a hit by pitch opened the Beacons' eighth inning to make it 16-9 as Searles drew a bases loaded walk for his first RBI of the action. A balk would force in the 10th UMass Boston run of the game, moving two runners into scoring position for freshman Kyle Boudrias. Boudrias grounded out to first but it was a productive out, driving in the third run of the frame to cut the deficit to 16-11. A single to left by Frosceno made it 16-12 and brought the tying run to the plate but WCSU relief pitcher Craig Frobel got a huge strikeout before inducing an inning-ending groundout to strand the bases loaded and keep it a four run game at 16-12.
Western Connecticut State got one back in the bottom of the frame as Callahan tripled to lead off the inning and came in on an RBI sac fly to right to give WCSU the 17-12 edge.
UMass Boston made it interesting scoring two more in the ninth. Dupre drew his fifth walk of the game, tying a single-game UMB record to drive in the 13th run while the 14th would come across on a wild pitch. The Beacons stranded the bases loaded to end the 3 hour and 49 minute game at 17-14, Western Connecticut.
WCSU senior Edgard Santiago earned the win going five and two third innings scattering six hits while allowing five runs, all earned, to improve to 4-2 on the year. Kaufman takes the loss and falls to 4-4 overall. Frobel picks up his first save of the year.
The Colonials will make their third LEC Championship appearance tomorrow afternoon and first since 2005 when they square off against No. 5 Eastern Connecticut State University at 12:00 PM. The Warriors make their 12th appearance in the LEC finals and third straight appearance in the title game, last winning the crown in 2014.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The ninth home run of the year for Murphy moves him into a tie for third all-time for home runs in a single season at UMass Boston, tying him with Adam Waxman ('01), Pat Donovan ('05) and Drew Tambling ('10).
- The fifth walk by Dupree tied Bob Kniffen ('07) for the single-game record which he set back on May 1, 2007 vs. Framingham State.
WHAT'S NEXT
The third-ranked team in the New England region will await the NCAA selection committee's decision on whether the Beacons earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection will be announced on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. with a press release available on NCAA.com.
RELEASE COURTESY OF DAN CAMPAGNA, EMMANUEL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR
