BOSTON, Mass. - The UMass Boston baseball team, which is receiving votes in the College Baseball Newspaper and D3baseball.com polls, recorded its 20th victory of the season with a 5-4 non-conference decision over Eastern Nazarene College Wednesday afternoon at Monan Park. Senior Drew Metzdorf (Burlington, Mass.) scored the game-winning run on a double-steal play in the bottom of the sixth, breaking a 4-4 tie.
 
THE BASICS
 
UMass Boston 5, Eastern Nazarene 4
 
UMass Boston (20-6)
Eastern Nazarene (16-14-1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Beacons got out to a 1-0 lead it the bottom of the first as graduate Steve Brookwell (Hightstown, N.J.) drew a lead-off walk and eventually scored from third as junior Aidan Blake (Lakeville, Mass.) grounded into a double play.
 
Both teams put up crooked numbers in the third. The Lions took 2-1 lead in the top half of the frame as Tyler Bean drove in Brandon Guerrero with a triple to straight away center field before heading home himself on an infield error that extended the inning.
 
That lead didn't last long as UMass Boston plated three runs in the bottom half of the third. Brookwell and Metzdorf got things going with back-to-back doubles to tie the game at 2-2.  Metzdorf then scored on sophomore Luke Leavitt's (Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.) single to center, and Blake headed home after sophomore Kevin Carrera (Sandwich, Mass.) worked a bases-loaded walk with one away.
 
Spencer Boynton was able to work out of that bases-loaded jam to keep Eastern Nazarene within two runs, and it drew even in the top of the fifth. The Lions loaded the bases with one out in the fifth for Shane McNamara, who drove in two runs with his single to right off. Freshman Keenan Metrick (Malvern, Pa.) then struck out Hernhy Lara and got Jaime Roldan to fly out to end the inning.
 
After two quick outs to start the bottom of the sixth, Metzdorf doubled down the left field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With Blake on first a double-steal was executed to perfection, allowing Metzdorf to score the Beacons' fifth run while Blake got safely back to first.
 
UMass Boston's bullpen was perfect through the final three innings, as just one batter reached base on an error. Metrick picked up his first decision of the season after fanning five batters over 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, including the seventh. Freshman Cole Porter (River Vale, N.J.) fanned two of the three batters he faced in the eighth before graduate Josh Eastman (Marshfield, Mass.) fanned two of four batters in the ninth to record his fifth save of the year.
 
Metzdorf was 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored and one drive in. Leavitt was 3-for-4 with an RBI.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
 
The Beacons are back on the diamond tomorrow, traveling to Wheaton (Mass.) College for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference contest.