BOSTON - The UMass Boston baseball team swept a rain-shortened doubleheader to Western Connecticut State University at Monan Park Saturday. These were the first two Little East Conference contests for both squads.
 
THE BASICS
 
UMass Boston 9, Western Connecticut 0
UMass Boston 6, Western Connecticut 2 (6 innings)
 
UMass Boston (11-2, 2-0 LEC)
Western Connecticut (4-7, 0-2 LEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Junior Alex Amalfi (Ashland, Mass.) and graduate Josh Eastman (Marshfield, Mass.) combined to strike out 10 batters while combining for the shutout in the opener. Amalfi improved to 3-1 after scattering one hit and two walks with eight Ks over his seven innings of work. Eastman yielded one hit with a pair of strikeouts over the final two innings.
 
The Beacons scored the only two runs they would need in the bottom of the first. Senior Craig Corliss (Hopkinton, Mass.) drove in graduate Steve Brookwell (Hightstown, N.J.) from second with a single to right, and then cross the plate himself as sophomore Kevin Carrera (Sandwich, Mass.) followed with a single to right of his own. RBI-singles from Brookwell and junior Aidan Blake (Lakeville, Mass.) in the second and seventh innings made it a 4-0 contest. UMass Boston then put the game out of reach with a five-run eighth, with two runs scoring on freshman RJ Mehnert's (Wayne, N.J.) pinch hit bases-loaded single to center.
 
Brookwell finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, two RBI and two runs scored in the first game of the day. Junior Ethan Errera (Newington, Conn.) was 2-for-2 while draw two free passes and scoring twice.
 
Kyle Brelling fell to 1-2 on the mound for WestConn. He allowed four runs on seven hits and five walks over seven innings to go with nine strikeouts.
 
In the nightcap, WestConn jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when Joe Desanctis launched a two-out, two-run homer over the left field fence, and that lead lasted until the Beacons put up a four spot in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead.
 
A pair of runs scored on senior Drew Metzdorf's (Burlington, Mass.) infield single, and he later scored from third on Carrera's ground out to second. Freshman Jake Woltman (Encinitas, Calif) then scored on Blake's triple to left.
 
UMass Boston scored twice in the bottom of the sixth before the game was rained-out with two outs in the frame. Freshman Mariano Jimenez (Waltham, Mass.) entered the game as a pinch runner and scored from third on Metzdorf's ground out, and Brookwell capped the scoring when he headed home on a wild pitch.
 
Junior Dillon Ryan (Sandwich, Mass.) picked up his first win of the season after allowing two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts over six innings of work. Orlando Swift fell to 0-2 after allowing six runs on six hits and eight walks over 5.2 innings for WestConn.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
 
The Beacons will next host a non-conference game against Brandeis University Tuesday. First pitch at Monan Park is scheduled for 3 p.m.