AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Despite falling in the first game of the doubleheader against Clarkson by a score of 9-5, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth overcame a three-run deficit in game two to defeat the Golden Knights, 4-3, in extra innings on Friday night at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.

The Basics

Score: Clarkson 8, UMass Dartmouth 5 | UMass Dartmouth 4, Clarkson 3

Records: UMass Dartmouth 8-2, Clarkson 1-1

How it Happened

Clarkson 8, UMass Dartmouth 5

Clarkson starting pitcher Ryan Riley (Sharon, Mass.) got the win for his squad, finishing with a final line of four innings, five hits, three runs, five walks, and three strikeouts in the first seven-stanza game of the doubleheader. Senior Will Coleman (Potsdam, N.Y.) and junior Brad Pearson (Clifton Park, N.Y.) submitted productive outings at the plate, picking up two hits apiece and combining for three runs and four RBI's.

Corsair starter Ben Lodge (Blackstone, Mass.) took the loss for UMass Dartmouth, lasting just two innings after surrendering five runs. Leading the offense was sophomore Mitch Baker (Braintree, Mass.) and junior Erick Ramirez (Boston, Mass.), who each logged a pair of base-knocks.

The Golden Knights put up a three spot in the first jumpstarted by junior Nolan Duda's (Latham, N.Y.) four-pitch base on balls followed by a stolen base. The following three hitters each singled to put the squad up 2-0, until sophomore Nate Burns (Jamesville, N.Y.) topped it off by racing home on a wild pitch.

UMass Dartmouth sophomore Zack DelVecchio (Braintree, Mass.) came into pitch in the third frame and worked a 1-2-3 inning helped by two strikeouts. In the bottom of the inning, the Corsairs were threatening with runners on first and second via singles by Ramirez and senior Kenny Michael (Norwood, Mass.), but Riley picked off Ramirez on the base paths to erase the building momentum.

With Clarkson ahead 6-1 in the fourth, Corsair Mac Curran (Lakeville, Mass.) clobbered a two-run homer over the left-centerfield fence to halve the deficit. The Golden Knights responded with a two-spot of their own in their next chance at the plate, with Coleman lofting a sacrifice fly down the right-field line putting the visitors up by a score of 8-3.

Baker hit the Corsairs' second homer of the day, this time of the solo variety, as his blast to left made it an 8-4 ballgame. In its final chance at the dish, the Blue and Gold scratched across a run by way of freshman Colin Nicklas' (Plymouth, Mass.) RBI single up the middle to bring home another score, but sophomore pitcher Mark Connor (St. Albans, Vt.) got pinch-hitter Matt Cronin (Framingham, Mass.) to go down swinging to end the game.

UMass Dartmouth 4, Clarkson 3

Clarkson manufactured its first run in the opening inning of game two. Burns scalded a ball to the right-centerfield gap for a leadoff double and then teammate Coleman moved him along with a productive out, hitting a groundball to the right side. With the Corsair infield back, Pearson chopped a ball to second baseman Josh O'Neil (Halifax, Mass.) to bring Burns home for a 1-0 advantage.

Each offense remained quiet until the fourth, when Clarkson sophomore Zack Riccardi (Rockland County, N.Y.) slammed a leadoff double off of the base of the left field wall. Moments later, junior Vincent Granuzzo (Lagrandgeville, N.Y.) singled up the middle to beat the drawn-in infield for a 2-0 lead. With the bases loaded with Golden Knights, sophomore Joe Stockman (Northport, N.Y.) chopped a ball over the mound that was grabbed on an athletic play by Ramirez, but his only play was to first for a run-yielding fielder's choice.

In the away half of the sixth, Ramirez blooped a single over the third baseman's head to reach base to pioneer the squad's rally. Baker followed up with a missile to the shortstop that took a bounce off of the middle infielder's chest, setting up two base runners with one out. Junior Pat Vartanian (Canton, Mass.) worked a quality at-bat to finally punch a ball through the middle to get the Corsairs their first score. The very next hitter in Curran singled through the right side to plate Baker, and then sophomore Mike Knell (Dennis, Mass.) delivered a sacrifice fly that backed the right fielder up against the wall, tying things up at three.

In extras, Knell laced a single to left and, following the Clarkson pitching change, advanced to second on pinch hitter Jose Vasquez's (Roxbury, Mass.) sacrifice bunt back to the mound. Down to their last out, sophomore Nate Tellier (Attleboro, Mass.) deposited a triple over the center fielder's head to bring the game-winning run home in Knell. After powering through his inning of work in the eighth, sophomore Robbie Carrillo (Melrose, Mass.) pieced together a clean ninth to put the finishing touches on the win.

Inside the Numbers

• The Corsairs remain undefeated in nine-inning games this season, as their two losses came in seven-inning contests (Springfield, Clarkson).
• At the plate in the first contest, UMass Dartmouth hitters tied their season-high in walk total with seven.
• Corsair hitters have now made it eight straight ballgames with an extra-base hit.
• In game two, freshman Logan Maitland (Tiverton, R.I.) went a career-high four innings in relief, shutting down the Clarkson lineup and allowed just one hit while striking out four.
• Across the sixteen innings today, the Blue and Gold pitching staff amassed 17 punch-outs.
• The Corsair defense had a season-high 42 total chances in the field in the evening cap, and posted a fielding percentage of a perfect 1.000.

Up Next

The Corsairs round out their spring break trip in Auburndale, Fla. with a 1 p.m. battle with SUNY New Paltz at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.