LEESBURG, Fla.—#7/9 UMass Boston baseball used a seven-run, fourth inning to jump out to a big lead and held on for their first win of the season Friday afternoon in Leesburg, Florida.

THE BASICS 

#7/9 UMass Boston 10, St. John Fisher 9

(UMass Boston 1-1)

(St. John Fisher 5-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After falling behind early for the second-straight day, the Beacons scored 10 runs between the second and fifth innings to snap St. John Fisher's four-game winning streak.   

Charlie Huegi (Sandy Hook, Conn.) came through with the big hit for the Beacons, as the senior shortstop hit a bases-clearing triple to key UMass Boston's seven-run fourth inning. Huegi finished the day 1-3 with two runs scored, three RBI, a walk and a stolen base.

Senior Eddie Riley (Quincy, Mass.) was the lone Beacon to record multiple hits (2-4) and he also added a run scored an an RBI.

Nick Herzog (Riverhead, N.Y.) added the Beacons first home run of the season and Anthony Cecere (Wakefield, Mass.) tacked on two runs scored and an RBI.

Junior transfer Matt Demma (Worcester, Mass.) was the first man out of the pen and earned a win in his first appearance as a Beacon. The former St. Joseph's College (Maine) Monk struck out four over two scoreless innings.

Sophomore Mike Doherty (Brewster, Mass.) allowed just two hits over the final two innings to earn a save in his season debut.

Thomas Pasquale led St. John Fisher with three hits in three at-bats and a pair of RBI. Leadoff hitter Justin Graham added two hits, three runs scored and two RBI.

After St. John Fisher struck for three runs in the first two innings, Herzog cut the deficit to 3-2 with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second.

The Cardinals answered right back in the top of the third, when Graham delivered a two-run, two-out double.

UMass Boston blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth with seven two out runs. The Beacons sent 12 hitters to the dish and plated seven runs on five hits.

With the bases full after a single and two two-out walks, Huegi crushed a bases-clearing double to center field to tie the game at 5-5. Riley followed with a go-ahead, RBI single to score Huegi.

After an error and an infield single loaded the bases up again, Ryan McCormick (Cumberland, R.I.) worked a walk, Cecere drew a hit by pitch and then Kyle Boudrias (Medford, Mass.) scampered home on a wild pitch.

The Beacons tacked on one final run in the fifth. Huegi walked, move to second on a Riley single, stole third and then came home on a wild pitch.  

St. John Fisher cut the deficit to 10-9 with three runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh.

Doherty shut the door from there, as he threw a perfect eighth and then worked around two singles to keep the Cardinals off the board.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Demma was the lone Beacon to make his debut on Friday, while junior transfer Brandon Cellucci (Wynantskill, N.Y.) earned his first start at UMass Boston.
• The Beacons used six different pitchers in the contest. They struck out 10 batters and managed to strand 13 Cardinals baserunners.
• UMass Boston stranded just five baserunners in the win.
• With the win, UMass Boston evens the season series and the all-time series against the Cardinals. The two regional powers are now 2-2 all-time against each other.

WHO'S NEXT  

#7/9 UMass Boston and St. John Fisher will play the final game in the three-game set on Saturday at 9:30 p.m.