Waltham, Mass. (4/5/13) – The Lasell College baseball team rapped out 17 hits in a non-conference victory over visiting Newbury College, defeating the Nighthawks 16-5. Lasell improves to 5-11 on the season while dropping Newbury to 6-13 overall.
Billy Uberti (Newton, Mass.) was 3 for 4 at the plate for Lasell while scoring twice and knocking in a pair of runs. Corey Michel (Rochester, N.H.) singled, walked three times, scored three and drove in three for the Lasers, who also got a pair of hits from Bobby Stachura (Middletown, Conn.), Jacob Salkovitz (Brockton, Mass.) and Dan Gagnon (Pomfret Center, Conn.). Jake Malone (Harwich, Mass.) went five innings, yielding five runs, only one earned, on six hits while fanning five to earn the win. Eric Howard (Newton, Mass.) tossed four scoreless innings in relief, allowing two hits and tallying five strikeouts to get credited with the save.
Steven Broy (Gorham, Maine) was the offensive star of the game for Newbury, going 2 for 4 with a double and a homerun, driving in four of the Nighthawks five runs. Ryan Zahonasky (Shelton, Conn.) also chipped in a pair of singles for Newbury, driving in a run. Brandon Schlette (Kinnelon, N.J.) started for Newbury, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two before giving way to Lyndon Brundige (Rockland, Mass.). Brundige took the loss on the mound for Newbury, allowing three runs on five hits through two innings of work.
Newbury opened the scoring in the top of the first inning on Broy's solo homerun to take a 1-0 lead. The visitors scored four times in the top of the second when they loaded the bases before Broy cleared them with a two-bagger. Broy came around to score on Zahonsky's single, giving Newbury and early 5-0 edge.
Lasell got a run back in the bottom of the second when Bobby Ellard (Medfield, Mass.) walked, and advanced on a single by Wes Hurty (Windsor, Conn.) before scoring on an RBI fielder's choice by Michel.
After a scoreless third inning, Lasell got back in the game with a five-run inning. Michel ripped a two-run double, and then scored on a Uberti single. Dustin Brown (Falmouth, Mass.) knocked in Uberti with a double and scored when Matt Sammarco (New Canaan, Conn.) grounded into a fielder's choice giving Lasell a 6-5 lead.
Broy was hit by a pitch to open the fifth inning for Emerson, and Zahornasky followed with a single. After a strikeout and a walk loaded the bases Newbury was poised to retake the lead. Malone however wriggled out of trouble, getting a strikeout and line out to left field leaving the bases loaded.
There would be no offensive fireworks for the next couple of innings, but Lasell added one run in the bottom of the sixth to up their lead to 7-5 when Stachura scored on a sacrifice fly by Wes Hurty (Windsor, Conn.).
Lasell was able to create some breathing room when they scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to go ahead 10-5 with two innings remaining.
Newbury again stranded a pair of runners in the top of the eighth inning, and then Lasell put the game away by scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Lasers used six hits and benefited from three errors to push across six runs and open up a 16-5 lead.
Newbury again stranded a pair of base runners in the top of the ninth allowing Lasell to win their home opener.
Lasell will travel to Albertus Magnus tomorrow Saturday Apr. 6th for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference doubleheader, while Newbury will square-off with Elms College in an NECC double dip.