KSC Baseball visited the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth) and came out victorious in the first game of the doubleheader, but ended up losing the second game of the series as the Owls beat the Corsairs 6-2 and lost to the Corsairs 5-2 at the UMD Baseball field in Dartmouth, Mass., on April 25.
During the doubleheader, Keene State displayed a high-level hitting performance in the first game, recording nine hits. Additionally, the Owls showed aggressive baserunning. In the first game, the Keene State hitters stole seven bases and drew 10 walks. In the first game of the match, Keene State pitchers struck out ten batters, and in the second game, the pitchers recorded two double plays.
The first runs in the game came almost immediately as the Corsairs opened up with senior outfielder Brett Baker hitting a solo home run to right-center field in the bottom of the first inning. UMass Dartmouth extended its lead to 2-0 in the first inning, as first-year outfielder Conner McNamara made his way around the diamond after a bases-loaded walk by junior infielder Cooper Wixon.
After a slow start, the Owls began their rally at the top of the sixth inning, as the team scored four runs through four hits. Sophomore outfielder Domminic Tagliaferro started the scoring in the inning with his RBI single, scoring senior shortstop Otis Follet. With senior third baseman Evan McCue’s RBI single that scored junior outfielder Ethan Rainha and tied the game 2-2. The Owls then took advantage of UMass Dartmouth’s junior Nick Bartalini’s throwing mistake and scored another run for Tagliaferro to make it 3-2 for the Owls. Sophomore second baseman Trevor Snow’s RBI single scored McCue to add on more runs for the team to extend the lead to 4-2.
Later in the game, to make sure Keene State kept pressure against the Corsairs. The Owls scored two more runs in the top of the ninth. Follet scored on a double steal, and McCue brought in Rainha home with an RBI single. First-year pitcher Even Levasseur took the win in relief after not giving up any runs and only allowing one hit. Senior pitcher Troy Brennan saves the game for the second time this year after not letting a single hit in two innings.
In the second game, UMass Dartmouth pitcher Jackson Hayes gave a good performance on the mound, throwing six innings and allowing just one unearned run. Keene State scored first, leading 1-0 in the first innings as senior first baseman Jonathan Chatfield hit a sacrifice fly ball, bringing in Trevor Snow. The Corsairs managed to even up the score after Junior Shortstop Luke Anderson from Keene State committed an error, which gave Jayden Cruz from UMass Dartmouth the ability to reach home.
The Corsairs extended their lead in the fifth inning after Marcus Ollivierre grounded out, allowing Ryan Jones to take the lead for UMass Dartmouth. An inning later, the Corsairs extended their lead to 3-1 in the sixth inning. Ryan Jones started the rally with an RBI single, followed by a two-run RBI double by Jake San Antonio, bringing in Jones and Sam Bradford.
The Owls attempted to score late in the ninth inning. Sophomore center fielder Derek Finlay managed to get a base hit, and he later crossed the plate after a wild pitch, reducing the lead to three. However, with one out left, the Owls could not gain any more momentum, and UMass Dartmouth ended the game with a routine groundout.
Following the split, Keene State’s record stands at 20-14 overall and 11-3 in the Little East Conference (LEC), while UMass-Dartmouth moves to 18-18 overall and 10-3 in the LEC.
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