BABSON PARK, Mass.—Junior Matthew Valente (Wyckoff, N.J.) scored the game-winning run when first-year Thomas Lapham (Charlestown, Mass.) took a 3-0 pitch off the shoulder in the bottom of the 10th inning as No. 10/10 Babson College rallied from a six-run deficit to defeat visiting Springfield College, 10-9, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball action on Tuesday afternoon at Govoni Field.
With its sixth consecutive victory, Babson improves to 22-4 overall and 12-2 in league play, while Springfield slips to 16-13 overall and 7-7 in the NEWMAC.
Senior Edward Lehr (Byram Township, N.J.) went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, Lapham drove in a pair of runs, and both Valente and junior Sean Harrington (Walpole, Mass.) each had two hits and and RBI for the Beavers. Junior Alex DiMartino (Mahwah, N.J.) also walked twice and scored twice in the win.
Sophomore Jordy Allard (Woodstock, Vt.) fanned a season-high eight batters but settled for a no-decision after giving up four earned runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings. Senior Max Tannenbaum (Coral Springs, Fla.) improved to 3-0 on the year for Babson after giving up one run in 2.0 innings of relief.
Sophomore Jack Simonetty (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) homered and drove in five runs, and classmate Jack Cooney (Pittsfield, Mass.) singled and had two RBI for the Pride. Fellow sophomore Noah Bleakley (Granby, Mass.) got the start and allowed five runs, four of them earned, over 4.2 innings, while junior Zach Kerr (Niskayuna, N.Y.) dropped to 1-1 with loss after giving up one run on two hits and four walks in 1.1 innings.
Walks to junior Jake Oliger (Newtown, Conn.) and Valente gave the hosts runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the 10th. Junior Zack Sette (Franklin, Mass.) drilled a first-pitch single to left, but Springfield sophomore Jason Bean (Middleboro, Mass.) gunned down Oliger at the plate for the second out of the inning. DiMartino walked on five pitches and Lapham worked the count to 3-0 before getting plunked on the right shoulder to force in the game-winning run for the Beavers.
Springfield jumped out to an early lead thanks to Simonetty's three-run blast with two outs in the top of the first. Senior Brandon Drabinski (Lisbon, Conn.), junior Ryan Smith (Millis, Mass.) and senior Brandon Russo (Lisbon, Conn.) loaded the bases with one out in the second and the Pride took advantage of an error and a fielder's choice to bring in three more runs, extending its advantage to 6-0.
The Green and White got on the board in the third as Harrington followed an RBI single by Lehr with an RBI groundout to make it 6-2. Senior Nicholas Browne (Mount Laurel, N.J.) doubled down the right field line to drive in Valente with no outs in the fourth, and later scored on DiMartino's sacrifice fly to cut the Beavers' deficit to 6-4.
Babson got within one on Valente's sacrifice fly in the fifth and then took its first lead with a two-out rally in the sixth. Senior Fletcher Comment (Westbrook, Conn.) and sophomore John Daley (Huntington, Mass.) combined to issues four straight walks, the last to Oliger drove in the tying run, while Jaun's single deep in the hole at shortstop allowed Lehr to race home for a 7-6 lead.
Springfield answered back though, as Russo and sophomore Eduardo Martinez (Southwick, Mass.) both walked and came around to score on Simonetty's two-out bloop single to left to go back in front 8-7. Russo led off the ninth with a walk and scored to extend the Pride's lead to 9-7, but Lapham drove in Valente with a single to short center and Lehr lifted a sacrifice fly to left center to plate DiMartino with the tying run to force extra innings.
Babson returns to action on Thursday when it hosts No. 3/4 Southern Maine at 3:30 p.m., while Springfield takes on Rhode Island College on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are 34-22 all-time against Springfield and have won 12 straight in the series since 2014.
• Babson's six-run deficit is the largest it has faced this year in a win, and the biggest since rallying from a 7-0 hole to defeat Wheaton 8-7 on April 8, 2018.
• The Beavers are 6-0 this season and have won eight consecutive games decided by one run going back to last spring.
• Babson is 2-0 this season in extra innings.