Back in Win Column: McCue Walk-Off Helps KSC Rebound, Beat Springfield 4-3

Owls Improve to 8-1 in Last Nine Games Ahead of Friday LEC Doubleheader

KEENE, N.H. – Emerging rookie Nathan Pirog struck out a career-high nine in five solid innings while junior Evan McCue hit an opposite field walk-off single with one out in the bottom of the ninth as the Keene State College baseball team bounced back after having their seven-game winning streak snapped yesterday, beating Springfield College 4-3 in non-conference action at the Owl Athletic Complex Wednesday afternoon.

KSC (16-14) remained over the .500 mark and won for the seventh time in the past eight games, rebounding from a 13-7 home loss to Eastern Connecticut State University on Tuesday and improving to 9-3 at home this season – their most wins in the Elm City (or nearby Franklin Pierce University's Pappas Field) since 2016 when they went 10-7.  In the last two seasons under fourth-year head coach Justin Blood, the Owls have posted a 17-5 home mark after going just 27-41 on their own field in the six seasons prior.

Today, Keene State was buoyed by their pitching staff and got just enough offense to improve to 3-0 in one-run games this season.  Pirog along with relievers Joe Schlehuber and Daniel Cantafi teamed up to strike out 15, with Cantafi pitching 2.1 scoreless frames after entering in a first-and-third jam with two outs in the seventh.  The Pride had already tied the game at three in that frame, with Nate Garafolo poking an RBI single to right that fell in and scored Michael Lepere, who had reached on a one-out single to short and stole second.  It seemed Schlehuber might have enough to get out of it after he froze Adam Crocker on a 1-2 pitch for the second out, but Garafalo – who hit a two-run homer to right in the first off Pirog to put the Pride up 2-0 – had other ideas.  He then moved to second and third on a wild pitch and passed ball, respectively, and Schlehuber issued a five-pitch free pass to Chris Balchius as even the tie became perilous.  However, Cantafi got Nicholas Lloyd whiffing on a full-count pitch.

Springfield put the go-ahead run into scoring position with one out in the eighth also following a double by pinch-hitter Jacob Wagner and moved him to third on a fly ball before Cantafi walked JP Catellier, but Lepere bounced to first on a ball easily handled by Jonathan Chatfield to get KSC out of trouble.

Cantafi sent down three straight – two more by K – after a leadoff single in the ninth, setting the Owls up for a fun finish.  No. 9 man Luke Anderson worked a five-pitch walk against Ethan Gray (0-1) to lead off the bottom half, and was sacrificed perfectly to second on a bunt by Derek Finlay on the first pitch new reliever Ryan Delaney threw.  He would throw only two more pitches in the game before KSC walked it off – one a foul pop by McCue to the opposite side and the next a perfectly placed roller into right for a walk-off single.  The Pride had second baseman Garafalo positioned very near the second base bag, and neither he nor the first baseman Wagner had any chance to make a play as Anderson scored with ease.

McCue finished 2-for-4 on the day with the game-winning RBI and a walk.  He was the lone Owl with multiple hits on a day they won with just six.

Springfield had eight, half from Lepere (2-4) and Garafalo (2-5).  Crocker and Balchius each walked twice out of the top four spots in the visitors' order, but the Pride's 15 strikeouts were a season-high.

Cantafi improved to 1-2 by earning the win as KSC emerged victorious for the first time in nine tries when allowing the opponent to score in the first inning and improved to 4-9 when allowing the opponent to score first.

Springfield fell to 3-8 all-time in Keene, losing the last four trips – though today's was far different than the three previous games, a 12-8 loss, a 14-10 loss, and an 11-9 loss.  Remarkably, eight of the 23 all-time meetings (KSC leads 15-8) have been decided by a single run.

The Owls now move back into Little East Conference play with an important doubleheader on Friday at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (15-14, 7-4 LEC).  First pitch is at 12:00 p.m.  KSC split with UMD, the eventual conference tournament champion, in Keene last year, allowing five in the ninth in the opener to lose 10-7 before erasing a 5-0 deficit in the second game and winning 11-9.  The Owls currently sit in second place ahead of the University of Massachusetts-Boston by percentage points (and also have a head-to-head sweep) and are one game behind Eastern Connecticut State University for first, but did not win either game in the season series.  Springfield, which fell to 4-8 in games decided by three runs or less on the season, travels to Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a NEWMAC doubleheader on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.