BOSTON, Mass.  –  Down to their final strike multiple times in the final inning, UMass Boston Baseball came back from a 7-3 deficit with a five-run frame with two outs on Thursday afternoon in their 2023 opener at Monan Park. With the bases loaded trailing by one, senior infielder Gianni Zarilli Jr. took ball four from freshman pitcher Cole Foster which bounced into the turf for a wild pitch.

Caught in a run down between third base and home, senior infielder Aidan Blake scrambled back towards the base before maneuvering around Foster on his way back towards home and past the tag from senior catcher Jake Sonandres for the game-winning run.

THE BASICS
UMass Boston 8, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7

UMass Boston (1-0)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED
UMass Boston would threaten to score first after a one-out double from senior catcher Craig Corliss, a walk issued to senior outfielder Chris Ducko, and a single from senior first baseman Nick Palma loaded the bases. Sophomore pitcher Brian Rapanan worked out of the jam with a strikeout and fielders choice ended the threat.

Freshman infielder Zev Moore got the scoring started in the game after senior pitcher Tim Cianciolo went 2 1/3 innings without allowing a hit. After allowing a walk to junior outfielder Kennan Gumbs, Moore hit a towering fly ball over the right field wall to put the Engineers ahead 2-0.

MIT would tack on another run when senior infielder Graham Cartwright reached on an error and eventually came around to score on a single from freshman outfield Eitan Moore in the fourth inning followed by two more runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single from senior catcher Jake Sonandres and sacrifice fly from Cartwright to take a 5-0 advantage.

Back-to-back hits via an RBI triple from Blake and RBI double from Corliss cut the UMass Boston deficit down to three runs, 5-2, in the sixth inning and a third run would be plated in the seventh inning from a wild pitch brought the Beacons within two runs.
Junior outfielder Teddy Schoenfeld seemingly put the Engineers up for good in the ninth inning when his two-run home run to deep right field against senior pitcher Ethan Errera helped cushion the MIT lead, 7-3, with the Beacons having just one round of at bats left.
 
Sophomore pitcher Jimmy Moore looked to close the door on the game in the bottom of the ninth inning and put MIT on the doorstep of victory, recording two outs after a fielder's choice from freshman outfielder Justin Gouevia in which he reached first. From there, Moore would walk two batters, hit another, and allow an infield single which brought the Beacons with one run, 7-6. With Foster on in relief, the back-to-back walks and wild pitch would complete the 8-7 comeback for UMass Boston.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Craig Corliss finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI
• In his first start of the season, Tim Cianciolo went four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits
• Brian Rapanan went six strong innings for MIT, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts
• Head Coach Brendan Eygabroat now has 395 career wins, moving within five of 400 in his career

WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston continues their three-game homestand to start the season before heading to Florida for spring break, taking on Framingham State University on Monday afternoon at Monan Park at 3:00 PM.