UMass Boston Earns Split With No. 9 St. Joseph's (ME)

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FROSTPROOF, Fla. – After dropping a 5-0 decision in game one, baseball bounced back in a big way as sophomore righty Kyle Szatrowski (Agawam, Mass.) pitched a gem to lead the Beacons to a 4-2 game two victory over No. 9 St. Joseph's College (Maine) Friday afternoon in a non-conference seven innings doubleheader at the Frostproof Sports Complex on the second day of the Beacons Florida spring trip.

The victory, which also marked the first of the year for UMB (1-2) ended an early two game-skid and gave the Beacons their first win over a top-10 team since their NCAA Regional title run back in 2010.  Szatrowski, who owns the only no-hitter in program history, absolutely dominated the Monks.

Through six innings of work, the sophomore forced four Monks (7-2) to ground out and 11 to fly-out.  He also struckout two and allowed just two walks.  Both runs were scored late in the contest, as he held the Monks scoreless through the first four frames.

Newcomer Shane O'Leary (Boston, Mass.) picked-up the save after he closed out the seventh allowing just one hit while making four Monks hitters fly out.

At the dish, the Beacons hitters back-up Szatrowski's showing by scoring a pair of runs in the second and fourth innings.  UMB got on the scoreboard in the second on back-to-back RBI singles from Kurtis White (Nahant, Mass.) and Gerard Florentino (West Roxbury, Mass.).

In the fourth it was Charles LaPaglia (Marshfield, Mass.) who got the inning off to a great start with his second homer in three games to make it a three run ball game.  After some key hits and solid base running by the Beacons, Tyler Kirwan (Syracuse, N.Y.) drove in UMB's final run of the day on a single.

The Monks did threaten in the fifth inning, but were unable to capitalize on a pair of errors by the Beacons.  St. Joe's got on the scoreboard in the sixth on a one-run shot by Mike Pratt, who also had the Monks only extra base hit in the nightcap. The first baseman also drove in the Monks final run in the seventh inning, but the heavy hitter could not get his team back into the contest.

LaPaglia and Luke Fischetti (Liverpool, N.Y.) each recorded a pair of hits to lead the afternoon for UMB.  Pratt was a solid 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and one run scored.

In the opener, the Monks rode the solid pitching of Preseason All-American Chad Rafferty as he allowed just four hits by the Beacons to earn the 5-0 win and his second overall victory of the 2013 season.  In the complete game showing he struck out six and did not surrender a walk.

For the Beacons Will Barrack (Lancaster, Va.) was handed the loss after surrendering four runs on seven hits in four innings of work.  The big righty picked-up one strikeout, while reliever Pat Austin (Torrington, Conn.) managed one K of his own in his two innings on the hill.

Jose Pena (Boston, Mass.) and White each recorded doubles in the loss, while LaPaglia and Jamill Moquette (Boston, Mass.) each reached base on a single. 

Baseball returns to action tomorrow when they face The College of New Jersey at noon at Lake Region High School in Eagle Lake.