GORHAM, Maine – Senior Cory DeMedeiros (Fall River, Mass.) drove in three runs, including his team-leading 10th home run, and junior Aaron Chouinard (Swansea, Mass.) threw seven strong innings to lead the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to a 12-3 victory over intrastate rival University of Massachusetts Boston this afternoon in Game 6 of the 2015 Little East Conference Championship tournament at the USM Baseball Stadium.
The Corsairs won for the sixth time in their past seven contests to move 10-games over .500 with an overall record of 25-15. UMass Dartmouth reached 25 wins for the first time in program history since 2004, when the Corsairs completed their campaign with a 25-15 mark. Second-seeded UMass Dartmouth will face top-seeded Southern Maine (29-12) in the finals of the winner's bracket tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. The fourth-seeded Beacons (23-14) had their six-game win streak snapped and will square off against fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut (20-16) in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 p.m.
The Corsairs utilized a well-balanced offensive attack as five batters registered multiple base hits, led by DeMedeiros. DeMedeiros doubled, homered, singled, and walked in his five official at-bats, and crossed the plate three times. Senior Ben Monteiro (Swansea, Mass.) posted a season-high three hits and a RBI, while classmate Alberto Vasquez (Roxbury, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI. Seniors Ryan Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass.) recorded two extra-base hits and George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.) added another as the "visitors" compiled nine of their 15 hits for extra-bases.
Chouinard (4-2) posted his team-leading fifth quality start of the season, allowing six hits and three runs (two earned) in seven innings. The junior southpaw issued three walks, but struck out six. Chouinard escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the fourth en route to retiring the final 10 batters he faced in order.
UMass Boston built a 3-0 advantage in the second inning, highlighted by junior Trevor Bouvier's (Salem, N.H.) two-run homer to left centerfield. The Beacons would tack on an unearned insurance run to cap the three-run inning.
UMass Dartmouth finally cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning, keyed by a UMass Boston defensive miscue. Vasquez followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Following an out, Monteiro singled through the right side to drive in DeMedeiros.
The Corsairs scored four runs with two-outs to take their first and final lead of the ballgame. DeMedeiros, Vasquez, and senior Alex Newton (Saco, Maine) hit back-to-back-to-back triples to give UMass Dartmouth a 4-3 advantage. Freshman Ervin Kantardzic (Roslindale, Mass.) delivered an RBI infield single to cap the surge.
Chouinard set the Beacons down in order in the bottom of the fifth and the Corsairs continued to apply the offensive pressure. Medeiros led off with a triple and scored on an Agostini single through the right side of the infield. DeMedeiros followed with a two-run homer to centerfield to break the ballgame wide open at 8-3.
UMass Dartmouth tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh and an additional run in the eighth to complete the scoring.
Junior Paul Mahoney (North Andover, Mass.) worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning, while freshman Josh Fickert (Lakeville, Mass.) recorded the final three outs to seal the victory.
UMass Boston sophomore Daniel Mantoni (Northbridge, Mass.) dropped just his second decision of the season, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.