BOSTON, Mass. - The UMass Boston baseball team cruised to a pair of Little East Conference (LEC) wins over visiting Keene State College Saturday afternoon at Monan  Park, taking game-one 10-0 and the nightcap 18-6. Freshman RJ Mehnert (Wayne, N.J.) was a combined 4-for-6 with two homers, four RBI and four runs scored on the day.  
 
THE BASICS
 
UMass Boston 10, Keene State 0 (seven innings)
UMass Boston 18, Keene State 6 (seven innings)
 
UMass Boston (18-6, 7-0 LEC)
Keene State (6-18, 2-5 LEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Beacons scored early and often in the opener, scoring twice in the first and seven times in the second to take an early 8-0 lead. Junior Gianni Zarrilli, Jr. (South Glastonbury, Conn.) drove in a pair of runs, first with a single in the top of the first to plate graduate Steve Brookwell (Hightstown, N.J.), and then lifting a sac-fly to center to send junior Aidan Blake (Lakeville, Mass.) home to cap the scoring in the second. Mehnert capped the scoring with a solo blast to center in the bottom of the fifth for the 10-0 final.
 
Brookwell was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored, driving in two runners with his single to center in the second, while Blake was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, one triple, two runs scored and one RBI. Mehnert was 2-for-3 with a homer, one RBI and scored twice.
 
That was more than enough offensive support for junior Alex Amalfi (Ashland, Mass.), who improved to 6-2 after scattering two hits and two walks while striking out 11 batters over six innings. Sophomore Jackson Snider (Durham, N.C.) pitched around two free passes in the seventh and final frame to preserve the shutout win for UMass Boston.
 
The two teams traded scoring innings early in the second game, which was tied at 6-6 after the Owls plated two runs in the top of the fourth. Liam Conley scored on an error before Wyatt Daft headed home on  a double-steal play to knot the score just before Nathaniel Hudson was tagged out on the play to end the inning.
 
It was all UMass Boston from there, as the Beacons scored 12 unanswered runs, eight of which came in the bottom of the fourth, for the 18-6 final. Blake opened the floodgates with a solo shot to center field. Mehnert and senior Drew Metzdorf (Burlington, Mass.) each added a three-run blast in the frame.
 
The hosts homered five times in the second game. Zarrilli launched a three-run blast to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the first ahead of senior Craig Corliss' (Hopkinton, Mass.) solo shot to left in the next at-bat.
 
Corliss and Zarrilli both finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, while Brookwell was 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and two RBI. Metzdorf was 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
 
Sophomore Brendan Ferrari (Dunstable, Mass.) improved to 2-0 after yielding one unearned run on one hit with four Ks in his three innings of relief. Senior DJ Lopes (North Dartmouth, Mass.) fanned two of the batters he faced in the scoreless seventh and final frame.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
 
The Beacons are back in action Tuesday when they travel to UMass Dartmouth for a 3:30 p.m. LEC contest.