NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Lasell College used a five-run rally in the sixth inning to defeat Albertus Magnus College 6-5 in the first game of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball doubleheader, but the Falcons came back with a 14-2 victory in the nightcap at Rochford Field.
The Lasers improve to 20-14 overall, reaching 20 wins in a season for the third time in the program's 11 seasons. Lasell wraps up the GNAC portion of the campaign with a 9-7 record, which is currently fourth place. Albertus is now 17-12 overall and 6-6 in conference play, with four GNAC games to play.
Lasell winds up the regular season with three non-conference games, Thursday, April 25, against Lesley University in Northborough, Mass., and Saturday, April 27, in a doubleheader in the home finale against the University of Maine Farmington, beginning at 4 p.m. Albertus will host Johnson & Wales University on Thursday, April 25, and visit Rivier University on Saturday, April 27.
The GNAC playoffs begin next Tuesday, Apr. 30, with first-round match-ups to be determined.
Game 1: Lasell 6, Albertus Magnus 5
Senior Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning to put Lasell on the board, but the Falcons took a big lead with two runs in the second inning and three in the third. Senior Tyriq Harris (Waterbury, Conn.) capped the second-inning rally with an RBI triple, and the three runs in the third came home on a balk, a sacrifice fly by freshman Eduardo Pena (Hamden, Conn.) and an RBI single by freshman Ron Losacano (Old Lyme, Conn.).
The Lasers staged a game-winning five-run rally in the sixth inning with six straight hits. Senior Brett Sherron (Howard Beach, N.Y.) and freshman Matt Bischof (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) delivered one-out RBI singles, senior Zach Herring (Fresno, Calif.) connected on an RBI double, and sophomore Wyatt Sihvonen (Lebanon, Conn.) and seniors Evan Michalek (Berlin, Conn.) and David Marsell (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) followed with consecutive singles to score two more runs.
Senior Dan Petr (East Haven, Conn.) earned the win for Lasell, working four innings of relief, giving up three runs on four hits, striking out five. Junior Chris O'Connor (Duxbury, Mass.) worked a scoreless seventh for his third save.
Game 2: Albertus Magnus 14, Lasell 2
The Falcons plated 14 runs on 14 hits, including six for extra bases, while Lasell managed just two runs on four hits. An eight-run second inning was all the hosts needed to solidify the win.
In a carbon copy of the first game, Lasell took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sac fly by Marchesseault to score Michalek. But this time, Albertus sent 12 batters to the plate in the second inning, scoring eight times. Losacano had two doubles and four RBI in the inning, capping the rally with a bases-clearing two-bagger.
Junior Joe Sullivan (East Sandwich, Mass.) hit a sac fly for the Lasers' only other run in the third inning. The Falcons didn't stop hitting, scoring one more in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Sophomore Brandon Fowler (Lexington, S.C.) earned the complete-game victory (4-1) for AMC, allowing just one earned run on four hits, striking out four.
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