BOSTON, Mass. – UMass Boston Baseball was unable to overcome the high-powered Salve Regina University offense at Monan Park on Saturday afternoon as the Beacons were swept by the Seahawks in their nonconference doubleheader, 9-5 and 10-6.
 
THE BASICS

UMass Boston 5, Salve Regina 9
UMass Boston 6, Salve Regina 10
 
UMass Boston (14-8)
Salve Regina (15-6)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

Game 1: UMass Boston 5, Salve Regina 9
Seven unanswered runs off the UMass Boston bullpen arms of senior pitcher Thomas Kierce and freshman pitcher Ethan Hunt would end up being the difference maker in the first game of the afternoon. Senior third baseman Drew Metzdorf gave the Beacons a 2-0 lead with a pair of RBI triples in the first and third innings before Salve Regina went to work offensively in the fifth and sixth innings.

Two runs in the fifth inning would come home for the Seahawks as a wild pitch from Kierce and a steal of home by senior outfielder Matt D'Amato saw Salve Regina pull even at two all before their big five-run sixth inning. Sophomore catcher Brady Smolinski's RBI single gave the Seahawks the lead for good, but the big blow would be dealt by senior first baseman Tyler Cannoe whose three-run home run capped off the stretch of seven unanswered runs to make it a 7-2 game.

The Beacons would respond with three runs in the bottom of the sixth after senior infielder Gianni Zarrilli Jr.'s RBI double followed by a sacrifice fly from senior catcher Craig Corliss and an RBI groundout from senior first baseman Nick Palma cut the UMass Boston deficit down to two, 7-5.

Salve Regina would tack on two more runs in the eighth inning on a two-run triple from sophomore infielder Christian Homa as the Beacon bats went quietly against sophomore pitcher Jason Arrigo who closed out the final three innings allowing no runs on one hit while striking out four and walking three as UMass Boston fell 9-5 in game one.
 
 
Game 2: UMass Boston 6, Salve Regina 10
The middle innings would once again by the undoing for the Beacons who fell behind 2-0 in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by D'Amato and a solo home run by Cannoe. UMass Boston would come from behind to take a 4-2 lead in the same inning as Zarrilli Jr. reached first safely on a strikeout wild pitch which scored a run with the bases loaded before a bases clearing triple by Corliss shifted momentum in favor of the home team.

The response would be immediate from Salve Regina to regain the lead with three runs in the fourth inning off junior pitcher Jackson Snider. Junior outfielder Tyler Petrosino started it with a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and then a wild pitch by Snider tied the game up at four with still only one out. Senior infielder Dustin Siqueira made it a 5-4 lead for the Seahawks with a sacrifice fly of his own before Snider would get out of trouble in the frame.

Freshman outfielder Evan O'Rourke extended the Seahawk lead in the fifth with a single to Metzdorf whose error allowed a run to cross and then a Smolinski double made it 7-4 in favor of Salve Regina before the Beacons added a run on a Corliss RBI groundout cut the deficit down to two, 7-5.

The Seahawks would plate three more runs in the sixth inning as it would be the bats of O'Rourke, Smolinski, and Petrosino coming through with a trio of hits to give Salve Regina their largest lead of the game, 10-5. A two-out RBI triple by junior outfielder Luke Leavitt would be the final run of the evening for the Beacons in the seventh inning as freshman pitcher Sean Mulligan spun the final four innings of the game allowing just that one run on one hit with six strikeouts and three walks to help Salve Regina finish off the doubleheader sweep with a 10-6 win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Drew Metzdorf had a team-high four hits in the doubleheader, going 4-for-8 with one double, two triples, two RBIs, a walk, and three runs scored
• Senior pitcher Dillon Ryan threw four innings in game one, allowing two runs (both unearned) on three hits with seven strikeouts and three walks in the no decision effort
• Salve Regina amassed 19 runs on 23 hits across both games compared to UMass Boston who finished with 11 runs on 13 hits
• This is the first time in program history in which Salve Regina has swept UMass Boston in a doubleheader series

WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston will play host to Plymouth State University on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 PM in their fifth Little East Conference game of the season. The Beacons split their home-and-home series against the Panthers last season, winning in seven innings at home 12-2 before losing on the road 13-12.