Late Rally Helps Babson Baseball Stun Suffolk, 8-7

Photo is courtesy of Babson College

BABSON PARK, Mass.—First-year Connor Gill (Sterling, Mass.) and sophomore Mark Webber (Norwell, Mass.) raced home on a dropped pop up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as Babson College rallied for five runs over the final two innings to complete an 8-7 come-from-behind victory over visiting Suffolk University in non-conference baseball action on Monday afternoon at Govoni Field.

With its second consecutive win, Babson is now 16-11-1 overall, while Suffolk falls to 22-7 on the year.

Webber went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored, while senior George Crowley (Watertown, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI to lead the Beavers. Junior Jack Halpin (Glastonbury, Conn.) reached three times and scored twice, and Gill added a pair of hits and a stolen base in the win.

Junior Kevin Belskie (Norristown, Pa.) went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead the Rams.
First-year Jake Frasca (Darien, Conn.) was 2-for-3 with a homer and three runs scored, while senior Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) had two hits, including a double, and scored twice.

Trailing 7-3 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Green and White got to Suffolk senior closer Cal Carroll (Methuen, Mass.) for three runs to cut its deficit to one. First-year Brian McHale (Ramsey, N.J.) and Halpin both walked and then came home on Webber's two-run double to left center. Crowley followed with a one-out single to right center one batter later which scored Webber to make it 7-6.

First-year Max Tannenbaum (Coral Springs, Fla.) worked around an infield single in the top of the ninth, and the Beavers completed their comeback in the bottom of the frame. Gill singled to right, stole second and then reached third with two outs. Carroll hit Webber, and he stole second to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Down to its final strike, Babson first-year Eric Jaun (Loveland, Ohio) hit a pop up behind third base that was mishandled by Suffolk junior shortstop Sean Cameron (Milford, Conn.) allowing both Gill and Webber to score for an 8-7 win.

The Rams took advantage of a pair of Babson errors to grab a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Crowley drove in Webber, who led off the bottom of second with a double, to make it 2-1, but Lapolla's sacrifice fly in the third and Frasca's home run off the scoreboard in left to start the fourth extended the Suffolk advantage to 4-1. Beavers' sophomore Adam Ayala (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) cut the deficit to 4-2 in the last of fourth, but Belskie gave the Rams a four-run lead with his two-out, two-run double in the sixth.

Tannenbaum (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory after working a scoreless ninth inning for the Green and White. First-year Edward Lehr (Byram Township, N.J.) allowed one unearned run on three hits while striking out three in two innings in relief of sophomore John Floegel (Summit, N.J.), who gave up four earned runs on five hits in 6.0 innings.

Carroll (1-1) suffered his first loss of the year after allowing five runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks over 1.2 innings. Senior Kyle Turner (Nashua, N.H.) earned a no-decision despite fanning seven and limiting the Beavers to three runs on five hits over seven innings.

Babson returns to action on Tuesday when it travels to Clark at 3:30 p.m., while Suffolk hosts MIT on Thursday at 4 p.m.

GAME NOTES
• The Beavers are now 26-18 all-time against Suffolk and have won eight of their last 10 games against the Rams.
• Babson has won its last three Patriots' Day games, scoring a combined 41 runs in those contests.
• The Beavers are now 11-4 at home this season, including a 4-2 mark in games decided by one or two runs.
• Monday's comeback matched the largest of the season for Babson, which also erased a four-run deficit in a 7-4 win over Keene State back on March 24.