MCMINNVILLE, OR ( March 15, 2024) – The UMass Boston baseball team found themselves on the receiving end of an offensive onslaught in game two of three against the Linfield Wildcats, as they fell 12-2 from McMinnville, Oregon on Friday afternoon.

Junior right-handed pitcher Ross Dexter started on the mound for the Beacons and pitched 5.2 innings, as he struck out four of the 27 batters he faced on just north of 100 pitches. Dexter was followed by sophomore right hander Justin DeFalco, who pitched for two innings before senior left-hander Aidan McMillan came in to close things out for the Beacons in the bottom of the eighth. As a team, the Beacons recorded two runs on four hits, led by senior Aidan Blake, who contributed a two-run homer to right-center field in the top of the sixth inning.

The Beacons fell behind to an early deficit in the first two innings, as the Wildcats were able to tally three runs off seven hits in the early goings. UMass Boston would record it's first hit of the game by first-year infielder Elliot Miles, who singled to center field, but was ultimately left on base to end the inning.

The third inning saw no hits or runs for either side, as the Wildcats remained comfortable in the drivers seat heading into the fourth inning.

The sixth inning saw the bats finally heat up for the Beacons, as sophomore outfielder Justin Gouveia recorded a single passed first base, followed by Blakes' two-run homer to chop the Wildcats' three-run lead to just one. Linfield responded in the bottom of the sixth with a solo blast to increase the cushion back to two. DeFalco came in to relieve Dexter with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

With the closing innings approaching, the Beacons were still unable to find any traction with the bats, as they recorded a single to start the top of the seventh inning, but followed this into a double play to end the inning.

A costly error in left field by the Beacons in the bottom of the seventh inning caused the Wildcats to add two more to make the score 6-2 heading into the fatal eighth inning.
The Beacons were unable to tally any hits or runs in response to deficit, and the Wildcats were on the prowl for a big inning. In the bottom of  the eighth, Linfield tallied six runs off three hits including a double and two homeruns as the Wildcats ran away with the scoring, and the victory in game two of their three game series from McMinnville, Oregon.

With the loss, the Beacons fall to 5-5 on the year, an even .500 % win percentage as they head into the final matchup of their West Coast Spring Break road trip against the Wildcats of Linfield University, later today on Friday at 5:30 pm EST. Live stats and video coverage can be found at UMass Boston - Official Athletics Website (beaconsathletics.com).