THE BASICS
GAME ONE: UMass Boston 5, Curry College 4 (8 Innings)
GAME TWO: UMass Boston 4, Curry College 3
(UMass Boston 16-8)
(Curry College 11-11)
HOW IT HAPPENED
In just their second extra-inning game of the season, Alexa St. Angelo (Cranston, R.I.) and Vic Zechello (Westborough, Mass.) both came through with RBI singles in the top of the eight, and Annie Thomas (Lunenburg, Mass.) stranded a runner on second to earn a 5-4 game one win.
The Beacons took game two thanks to a three-run top of the sixth inning, with Taylor Pawlina (Woonsocket, R.I.) and Kaitlyn Morse (Arlington, Mass.) providing two-out RBI hits.
GAME ONE
After going through the first seven innings tied 3-3, UMass Boston used three hits in the top of the eighth to grab a 5-3 lead, and then relied on Thomas to shut the door in the bottom of the eighth.
Lauren Mitsiaris (Taunton, Mass.) led the offensive outburst for the Beacons, as she went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Zechello added two hits, a run scored and an RBI, while Morse and St. Angelo had two hits and an RBI apiece.
In the circle, Thomas improved to 9-3 by going the full eight and allowing four runs, three earned.
The freshman struck out five, while walking three and scattering nine hits.
Mikayla Lambert and Mikayla Korona combined for four hits, three runs and three RBI for the Colonels. In the circle, McKenna Barlow was charged with the loss, after she couldn't get an out in the seventh. Barlow allowed 12 hits and five runs, four earned.
Curry got to Thomas for two runs in the bottom of the first, but UMass Boston answered with two runs of their own in the second.
The Beacons opened the inning with three-straight hits and Kristina Bove (Medford, Mass.) cut the deficit to 2-1 with an RBI single that plated Mitsiaris. After a walk loaded the bases with one out, Morse followed with an RBI single of her own, this time scoring Zechello.
Curry nearly took the lead in the second, but Gia Raczkowski (Stoneham, Mass.) threw out a runner at the plate from right field, and then the Beacons got a second out on the play at third base.
UMass Boston temporarily took the lead in the top of the fifth, as Raczkowski doubled with one out and came home to score on a Roxanne Vento (Arlington, Mass.) RBI two-bagger.
Korona and the Colonels would answer in the bottom half of the inning though, as Korona blasted an RBI double with one out.
After a scoreless sixth and seventh, the two teams got some instant offense thanks to the international tie breaker rule. Both teams started the inning with a runner on second and no outs.
Mitsiaris singled to start the top of the eighth inning and St. Angelo gave the Beacons the lead at 4-3, as her double easily scored Vento from second. Curry went to the bullpen, but it wasn't enough, as Zechello greeted Rebecca Black with an RBI single to easily score Mitsiaris.
In the bottom of the inning, Lambert made it a one-run game with an RBI double. With a runner on second and no outs, Thomas proceeded to strike out back-to-back hitters, before getting a groundout to third to close out the game.
GAME TWO
Game two was just as nervy for the Beacons, as they trailed most of the way, and Curry loaded the bases in the seventh with one out trailing 4-2.
Kelsey Whiting (Sharon, Mass.) had a breakout game in game two, as the sophomore earned her third start as a Beacon. Whiting finished a perfect 3-for-3 with two key runs scored, while playing right field.
Mitsiaris continued her big day in game two, as the first baseman went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Morse added two hits and two RBI out of the lead spot and Pawlina finished 1-for-2 with two RBI.
In the circle, Zechello allowed just three runs, two earned, while whiffing six Curry batters.
Black took the loss for the Colonels, as she allowed 11 hits and four runs in a complete-game.
Curry once again struck first, as Marissa Bruno staked the Colonels to a 1-0 lead with a one-out RBI double in the bottom of the first.
After stranding runners in three of the first four innings, UMass Boston came through in the fifth. Whiting led off the inning with a single to left and moved to second on a sacrifice from Pawlina. Whiting came in to score on the next play, as Whiting easily scampered home on a bad throw by the Colonels' first baseman.
Curry would answer right back in the bottom of the inning, as Lambert drove in Morgan Haaland on a Beacons' error with two down.
Not to be deterred, the Beacons took the lead for good with three two-out runs in the sixth.
Vento led off the inning with a hit by pitch and was joined on the basepaths by Mitsiaris who singled to third. After back-to-back outs, Whiting loaded the bases with a single. That set the stage for Pawlina, who singled to right field to score both Vento and Mitsiaris. Morse provided a huge insurance run, as she singled to left field to plate Whiting and make it 4-2 Beacons.
That run would come into play in the seventh, as Curry aimed for a comeback of their own. The Colonels loaded the bases on an error and back-to-back singles with one down. Curry made it 4-3 with a sacrifice fly-that scored a run and moved the tying run over to third. With two down and runners at first and third, Zechello induced a groundout to first, to secure the sweep.
BY THE NUMBERS
- A day after scoring just one run on 11 total hits in 12 innings, UMass Boston finished with 24 hits and nine runs in 15 innings.
- UMass Boston's 16 wins ranks fourth in program history for wins in a single-season. The Beacons won 21 games in 2010, 24 in 2011 and 17 in 2012.
- The Beacons improved to 7-5 all-time against the Colonels and earned their third-straight win over Curry.
- Whiting entered today's action 0-for-3 with one run scored in one prior start in the lineup.
- The Beacons extra-inning game one victory marked their first extra-inning win since April 22, 2014. UMass Boston downed the University of Southern Maine 6-5 in eight innings in that game. Since then, the Beacons had dropped four-straight extra-inning games, including a 1-0 game to MCLA on Opening Day this year.
- Bove's RBI single in game one snapped an 0-for-31 stretch for the senior left fielder.
UMass Boston will look to build upon their 3-1 start to Little East Conference play on Saturday, as they host Rhode Island College for an LEC doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
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