QUINCY, Mass. – A six-run sixth inning powered Eastern Nazarene College to a 9-8 victory over Lasell College Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference baseball game at Adams Field.
After the big inning gave the Lions a 9-4 lead, Lasell battled back with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings and two more in the ninth to cut the deficit to one run, but the Lasers left the bases loaded in the ninth for the 9-8 final.
The Lions improve to 15-13 on the season while the Lasers slide to 5-16 overall.
Junior Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) went 3-for-3 for the Lasers, while classmate David Marsell (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Junior Chris Maringo (Farmingville, N.Y.) and sophomore Luke Scholand (Albuquerque, N.M.) also collected two hits apiece in the setback.
Zachary Carmody (Babylon, N.Y.) racked up four hits, two RBIs, and a pair of runs scored for the Lions. Connor Simpson (Haverhill, Mass.) posted two RBIs and two runs scored; Steven Pesce (Harrison, N.Y.) finished with three RBIs while Joshua Bombard (Rutland, Mass.) crossed the dish twice.
The hosts grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when Matthew Urena (Flushing, N.Y.) laced a two-out single to right to drive in Bombard. Eastern Nazarene widened the gap to 3-0 with a pair of scores in the third. Carmody roped a double to center to plate Simpson from first base, and Carmody would come around to score on a groundout by Pesce.
Lasell got on the board with two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2. Freshman Wyatt Sihvonen (Lebanon, Conn.) and Marsell notched back-to-back RBI base hits to score freshman Shawn Murphy (Woburn, Mass.) and Sihvonen. The Lasers claimed a one-run edge, 4-3, with two runs in the fifth inning. Maringo doubled to left to knock in senior Dom Mascolo (Waterbury, Conn.), and Maringo motored home as Murphy reached on a fielder's choice.
The Lions exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth frame to capture a 9-4 advantage. Bombard trotted home as Anthony Esposito (Mount Royal, N.J.) reached on catcher's interference with two outs. Simpson followed with a two-run single to center to drive in Dylan Louviaux (Mohnton, Pa.) and Urena. Carmody raked a single up the middle to plate Esposito from second base. With the bases loaded, Pesce scorched a single to score Carmody and Simpson.
The visitors trimmed the margin to 9-5 with one run in the seventh as Scholand scurried home on a wild pitch with two outs. Lasell narrowed the deficit to 9-6 with a score in the eighth inning as Mascolo hit a double to centerfield to plate Marchesseault from first base.
The Lasers scored twice in the ninth to pull to within a run, 9-8. Marsell lifted a sacrifice fly to center before Brett Sherron drew a bases-loaded walk. ENC's Briley Seiter (Bellevue, Ky.) came on to slam the door, fanning the only batter he faced to pick up his first save of the spring.
Lasell's non-conference game Thursday at Framingham State University has been postponed due to rain. The Lasers will return to action Friday with a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheaders against Saint Joseph's College (Maine); the games will be played at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass., beginning at 3:00 p.m.
(Courtesy of Eastern Nazarene Sports Information)
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