DANVERS, Mass. – Emerson College scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon to pull out a 9-8 victory over Lasell University in a non-conference baseball game at St. John's Prep.
Emerson improves to 3-8 overall, while Lasell drops to 2-3.
The Lions took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run home run by sophomore Quinton Copeland (Houston, Texas). The Lasers battled back to tie the score with two runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth. Junior Charlie Danaher (Guilford, Conn.) drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Lasers on the board in the fourth, and sophomore Matt Motyka (Vernon, Conn.) accounted for the next two runs, stealing home in the fourth and delivering an RBI single in the fifth.
After Emerson regained the lead in the last of the fifth on a solo home run by senior Cam Beattie (Gilbert, Ariz.), the Lasers roared into the lead with three runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth. Junior Harrison Silva (Lowell, Mass.) hit an RBI single to right to tie the score at 4-4, and classmate Brian Cipolla (Cranston, R.I.) followed with a two-run double to left. Junior Wyatt Sihvonen (Lebanon, Conn.) tripled home a run in the eighth, and came home on a sacrifice fly by junior Joe Sullivan (Sandwich, Mass.).
Emerson rallied with five runs on four hits and an error in the ninth inning. Freshman Thai Morgan (Waldwick, N.J.) brought home a run with an infield RBI single; Copeland drove in two with a single up the middle; Morgan scored on an infield ground out; and freshman Matt Nachamie (Merrick, N.Y.) knocked in the winning run with a single to left.
Sihvonen finished with three hits for Lasell, and Cipolla drove in three. Motyka and Silva also collected two hits apiece. Copeland finished 2-for-4 with five RBI for Emerson, and Morgan had four hits on five trips to the plate.
Sophomore Bryan Simmons-Hayes (Natick, Mass.) earned the win (2-0) in relief for the Lions, while senior Zach Handzel (Palmer, Mass.) was saddled with the loss (1-2) for Lasell. Senior Patrick Colvin (Lenoxdale, Mass.) had a solid appearance in relief, allowing just one run on four hits in five innings, striking out two.
Lasell's upcoming schedule is in question due to the cancellation of the team's spring trip to Florida. There is currently a tentative game scheduled for Monday, March 16, against Rivier University at 3 p.m. at Fraser Field in Lynn, Mass. Emerson will host Pine Manor College in its next outing with a doubleheader this Saturday, March 14, beginning at noon.
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