BOSTON, Mass.—Top-seeded UMass Boston struck for 12 runs across the fourth and fifth innings, to cruise past fourth-seeded Baruch College 15-1 in the opening game of the 2019 UMass Boston Regional at Monan Park.
THE BASICS
#22/23 UMass Boston 15, Baruch College 1
(UMass Boston 31-11)
(Baruch College 17-19)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beacons racked up 15 runs on 16 total hits, including seven extra-base knocks, to advance to the winner's bracket of this weekend's four-team regional.
The top-seeded Beacons will take on #2 Wheaton College on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for a spot in Sunday's Regional Final. In the first game on Saturday, #4 Baruch will take on #3 Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in an elimination game.
Every Beacon in the starting lineup had a hit or an RBI, as the Beacons won their fifth-straight game and 16th in the past 17 contests.
Senior Nick Herzog (Riverhead, N.Y.) broke out of a slump by going 2-4 with a run scored, five RBI and a pair of triples. Junior Ryan McCormick (Cumberland, R.I.) added four hits, three runs scored, an RBI and a pair of doubles. Fellow junior Danny Brown (Hudson, N.H.) tacked on two hits, three runs, two RBI, one walk and two triples.
Nick Cotraro (Beverly, Mass.) added two hits, one run and three RBI and freshman Nico Kydes (Stamford, Conn.) went 2-3 with two runs, two walks and one RBI.
On the mound, junior Ben Gottesman (Acton, Mass.) scattered two hits and two walks, while striking out eight over six scoreless innings. Freshman PJ McKermitt (Chicago, Ill.) earned his first collegiate save, after limiting the Bearcats to two hits, one run and one walk over three innings. McKermitt added on five strikeouts.
Baruch ace Paul Sirakowski fell to 5-2 on the year after lasting four innings. The junior was charged with eight hits, seven runs (five earned). Out of the pen, Robert Raman kept the Beacons in check over the final 3.1 innings, as he gave up four hits and one earned run.
Nicholas Valeriano was the lone Baruch player to reach multiple times, as he went 1-2 with a run scored and a walk.
UMass Boston grabbed the lead in the second inning. After a Brown leadoff triple, Kydes singled through a drawn-in infield to give the Beacons the lead for good. Kydes moved to third on a Charlie Huegi (Sandy Hook, Conn.) double and scored on a Herzog sac fly.
The Beacons blew the game wide-open in the fourth and fifth.
UMass Boston scored five runs in the fourth, with Herzog driving in a pair on a two-run triple and Cotraro adding a two-out, RBI single.
The Beacons extended their advantage to 14-0 with a seven-run fifth inning. After a pair of sac flies pushed the lead to 9-0, Cotraro registered a two-run single and Brown followed with a two-run triple down the right-field line. McCormick capped off the seven-run inning with an RBI single.
UMass Boston pushed their lead to 15-0 in the eighth, when Herzog tripled to right center to score McCormick.
Baruch scored their first-ever run in the NCAA Tournament in the ninth. Valeriano led off with a single and took second on an errant pickoff throw. With one out, Raymond Maurer III singled down the left field line to drive in Valeriano.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Herzog set the program record for career total bases with his first triple of the day. His 134 total bases broke Ryan Walsh's ('10) record set in 2010 (130).
- UMass Boston improved to 15-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 14-4 all-time in NCAA Regional play. The Beacons are 5-0 all-time in the first game of an NCAA Regional and will look to move to 5-0 in the second game of NCAA Regionals on Saturday.
- Gottesman improved to 5-0 on the season and lowered his earned run average to 1.28. He has posted a 0.58 ERA in six starts this season (2 earned runs in 31 innings).
- Herzog snapped out of an 0-17 streak with his two-run single in the fourth. He broke the 50-RBI mark for the season on Friday and is tied for third in program history for a single-season with his 52 RBI.
- The Beacons two pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and allowed just four hits and three walks.
- UMass Boston needs 1 more triple to tie the program record for triples in a single-season set by the 2000 team (24 triples).
WHO'S NEXT
#1 UMass Boston will be the road team at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, when they take on #2 Wheaton College in game four of the 2019 UMass Boston Regional. The winner of the contest will advance to Sunday's final (11 a.m.), while the loser will play again at 6:00 p.m. against the winner of #4 Baruch and #3 Saint Joseph's College (Maine).
me four of the 2019 UMass Boston Regional. The winner of the contest will advance to Sunday's final (11 a.m.), while the loser will play again at 6:00 p.m. against the winner of #4 Baruch and #3 Saint Joseph's College (Maine).