BOSTON, MA (February 26, 2025) – The UMass Boston baseball team (1-0) kicked off their 2025 season with a dominant 17-2 victory over the New England College Pilgrims (0-1) at Monan Park.
Senior Ross Dexter (Milton, Mass.) earned the Opening Day start for the Beacons, delivering a stellar performance on the mound. Dexter tossed five hitless innings, striking out six batters to secure his first win of the season.
Offensively, the Beacons erupted for 17 runs on 16 hits, with contributions from nine different players. Justin Gouveia (3-6, 3 RBIs) and Miles Elliot (3-6, 4 RBIs) led the charge. Together, Gouveia and Elliot went 6-for-12, with two doubles and seven RBIs. Brandon Gear, Jacob Levine, and Mariano Jimenez also posted multi-hit games in the opener, while junior Breon Parker added a double and drove in two runs.

How it Happened:

The Beacons struck first in the third inning when Mariano Jimenez (Waltham, Mass.) tripled to right field, scoring Mike Meagher (Barnstable, Mass.), who had reached second with a double.
In the bottom of the fifth, UMass Boston added four more runs on two hits and one New England College error. Nick Farnacci (Farmingdale, N.Y.) reached base on an error, then advanced to second on a balk. Breon Parker's (Springfield, Mass.) double to left field scored Farnacci. After a walk to Bostyn Burris (Highland, Tex.), Justin Gouveia's (Dartmouth, Mass.) single to right drove in Parker and moved Burris to third. Burris later crossed the plate on a successful double steal.

After back-to-back walks to Brandon Gear and Jacob Levine, the Pilgrims balked in another run to cap the scoring for the inning.

The Beacons continued to pour it on in the bottom of the seventh, adding eight runs on six hits and one Pilgrims' error. Brandon Gear (Rocky Hill, Conn.), Jacob Levine (Easton, Mass.), and Miles Elliot (Portsmouth, N.H.) each contributed hits to start the inning. Gear singled to left, Levine doubled, and Miles hit a single to center, driving in two runs. Ryan Slack's (Derby, Conn.) single advanced Meagher to third and scored Miles. Parker grounded out but drove in Meagher and advanced Slack to third. Jimenez then lifted a sacrifice fly to score Slack. Miles capped the scoring with a two-run double to left, bringing the inning to a close.

The Beacons added four more runs in the eighth inning, capitalizing on three hits and two errors. Gouveia drove in Williams and Burris with a double down the right-field line. LaFleur reached first on an error by the third baseman, allowing Reed Burkett-Schneider (Austin, Tex.) to score. Cole Bissaillon (Great Barrington, Mass.) singled to shortstop, bringing LaFleur across the plate for the game's final run.

UMass Boston will return to action on Friday when they host Bridgewater State at 2:30 p.m. at Monan Park.