PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – A Coley Barker (Pembroke, Mass.) RBI single in the bottom of the ninth plated the biggest run of the 2015 season, as the Beacons upset No. 3 SUNY Cortland by the final of 4-3 in game two of a non-conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon at North Charlotte Regional Park. The Beacons started the day off with a 9-5 win over Farmingdale State College.
With Thursday's sweep the Beacons improved to 5-4 on the year, while Farmingdale State fell to 2-6, following their game-one loss. For the Red Dragons, the loss marked the first of the year for top-5 team, who now stands at 11-1 overall.
Barker's game-winning single in the nightcap plated sophomore Anthony Searles (Shelton, Conn.), who reached base on an error by the shortstop. Charlie LaPaglia (Marshfield, Mass.) would then move Searles up 90 feet on a perfectly placed sac-bunt. After intentionally walking the next batter, Barker stepped to the plate with game-winning run sitting on second and with only one out on the board.
On the very first pitch of his at-bat, Barker ripped a single through the left side of the infield, sending Searles off and running. From contact, third base coach Bobby Barrett waved Searles home. The sophomore catcher would beat the play at the plate just as his teammates cleared the bench.
Carrying the Beacons throughout Thursday's victory was sophomore righty Daniel Mantoni (Northbridge, Mass.), who pitched the best eight innings of his college career. With well over 100 pitches to his name, the Northbridge native struckout seven, and allowed just three runs, two earned, on five hits. He forced a total of nine fly outs and eight groundouts.
Earning the victory was senior righty Josh Cummiskey (Lowell, Mass.) who retired the side in the top of the ninth to keep the score deadlocked at 3-3.
To start off the day, the Red Dragons would get their first run in the top of the first inning on a throwing error by Mantoni. The Beacons would take advantage of Cortland error in the bottom of the second to tie the score at 1-1.
UMass would jump out to a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the fifth. Trevor Bouvier (Salem, N.H.) started off the inning with a single to right field, and would then move over to second on a great sac-bunt by Bryan Failla (Torrington, Conn.). Bouvier would then end-up on third following a Delvis Baez (Lawrence, Mass.) single through the left side. In perhaps the turning point of the game, the Beacons would plate their second run of the day on a sac-bunt by Sal Frosceno (Derby, Conn.) to make it 2-1 UMass Boston. Mantoni then crushed a ground rule double to right center to score Baez and make it 3-1 Beacons.
However the Beacons lead was short lived as the Red Dragons tied the score at 3-3 in the top half of the fifth. With the scored tied at three a-piece, both teams managed to come up with some key defensive plays. However it was the pitching that stole the show in the later innings. Cummiskey's shutdown inning, gave the Beacons the window they needed to close out the win.
Game one saw senior lefty Kyle Szatrowski (Agawam, Mass.) earn a hard fought six-inning win as the Beacons powered past the Rams of Farmingdale State. The lefty struckout six to improve to 1-1 on the year, while Alex Carusotto (Pittsfield, Mass.) picked-up his first save of the year.
The Beacons would score their nine runs on eight hits, with Bouvier leading the way with three RBI and a runs scored on a double and triple. Daniel Bonito (Swampscott, Mass.) finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored to start off the day on a winning note.
Baseball will close out their 2015 spring trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Denison University, which is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Both games will be played at North Charlotte Regional Park.