AUSTIN, Texas - The UMass Boston baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader at Concordia University (Texas) Friday, taking the opener 7-2 before being edged in the nightcap, 4-3.
 
THE BASICS
 
UMass Boston 7, Concordia 2
Concordia 4, UMass Boston 3
 
UMass Boston (6-2)
Concordia (10-8)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Concordia led 2-1 in the opener after scoring twice in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Chris Varljen worked a one-out walk before moving to third on sophomore Aaron Gomez's single to left and scoring from third on a squeeze play. Gomez advanced to second on the squeeze play, and then headed home on senior Dalton Watts single up the middle.
 
It was all UMass Boston from there. The Beacons regained the lead for good in the top of the fourth when freshman Jake Woltman  (Encinitas, Calif.) launched one over the center field fence with the bases juiced to give UMass Boston a 5-2 lead. The Beacons tacked on two more runs thanks to RBI singles from junior Gianni Zarrilli, Jr. (South Glastonbury, Conn.) and senior Thomas Cue (Shrewsbury, Mass.) in the seventh and final inning.
 
Woltman finish 2-for-4 with a grand slam, while Cue was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and another driven in. Zarrilli was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
 
Junior Alex Amalfi (Ashland, Mass.) improved to 2-1 for UMass Boston after allowing two runs on four hits with seven Ks over his 4.2 innings of work. Classmate Thomas Kierce (Cohasset, Mass.) yielded just a walk and had one strikeout over the final 2.1 innings to earn the save. Sophomore Otto Franz fell to 1-3 for the Tornados after allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over his four innings of work.
 
In the second game of the day, the Tornados jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as sophomore Riley Becker tripled to the gap in left with one out and scored on Watts' ground out to second. They would have to rally late to pull this one out, scoring three times in the bottom of the eighth for the 4-3 final.
 
Junior Kalen Moreno got things going in the eight, driving in Watts with a single to right and then tied the score when freshman Brendon Huber crossed the plate on a squeeze play. Moreno then scored the game-winning run on fifth-year Sterling Stephens' bunt single to third for the 4-3 final.
 
The Beacons tied the game in the top of the fourth when Blake scored on sophomore Kevin Carrera's (Sandwich, Mass.) two-out single to the gap in left. They went ahead with a two-run sixth. Senior Craig Corliss (Hopkinton, Mass.) reached on a one-out error and then scored on Blake's double down the line in left, who would head home on Zarrilli's single up the middle.
 
Senior Easton Migl improved to 3-1 on the hill for Concordia after tossing 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, scattering three hits and striking out seven. Graduate Colton Hunter got the start for the Tornados, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits with six strikeouts over his 5.1 innings.
 
Freshman reliever Cole Porter (River Vale, N.J.) took the loss for UMass Boston after allowing three runs on three hits and a walk in the eight. Junior Dillon Ryan (Sandwich, Mass.) got the start for the Beacons, allowing one run on two hits with 10 Ks over six innings.
 
Blake was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs score in the day's second game, while Zarrilli was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
 
The Beacons and Tornados will meet for the fourth and final time this week when they square off Saturday at 11 a.m.