WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – At Chain of Lakes, the Endicott baseball team split a doubleheader with regional foe UMass Dartmouth taking game one 5-3 by breaking a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh and dropping game two 11-4. The Gulls take a 5-2 overall record into their final game of the 2017 RussMatt Invitational on Saturday morning against Clarkson.
GAME ONE: ENDICOTT 5, UMASS-DARTMOUTH 3
With the score knotted at 3-3 in the top of the seventh, Gulls sophomore first baseman Chris Seidl (Dracut, Mass.) roped a single to right center, over the outstretch glove of the Corsairs second baseman, to score junior second baseman Michael DeDonato (Chelmsford, Mass.) from second base. With Seidl at first and Endicott senior third baseman Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.) on third, the Blue and Green successfully brought home another run as Seidl broke for second base and got himself into a rundown which allowed Kochiss to break for home to give Endicott a two-run lead.
Endicott handed the ball over to graduate student reliever Nick Quattro (Canton, Conn.) who struck out two batters and left runners on first and third with two outs by getting the final batter to fly out to left. It was Quattro's second save of the season.
Gulls sophomore righty Kevin Gould (Rollingsford, N.H.) took the ball to start the game and lasted five innings and gave up three runs, two of which were earned, on seven hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Graduate student left-handed pitcher Corbin Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth to earn the victory.
For UMass Dartmouth, starting pitcher Sean Callahan (Colchester, Vt.) threw well for 6 2/3 innings as he surrendered no earned runs but five runs crossed the plate in his time on the mound. He gave up seven hits and two walks while striking out seven Endicott batters. He took his first loss of the year.
The Corsairs held a 3-2 lead going into the later innings thanks to a solo homerun to deep left center off the bat of junior catcher Brandon Polignone (Peabody, Mass.). He finished the game 2-for-3.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott improved to 7-2 against UMass Dartmouth all-time after the game one victory.
- Kochiss went 3-for-3 in the game with a double to improve his average to .577 on the year.
- Junior outfielders Michael Casciano (Somers, Conn.) and Brad Rebello (Bellingham, Mass.) both recorded sacrifice fly RBIs in the top of the second.
- Making his first collegiate start, freshman third baseman Joseph Deutsch (Fairfield, Conn.) stole two bases.
FOR THE FOES
- UMass Dartmouth junior first baseman Jack Harrington (Barnstable, Mass.) went 3-for-3 out of the three-hole with a run scored.
- Junior outfielder Kenny Michael (Norwood, Mass.) cracked a double to right center in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 2-2.
- The Corsairs committed five errors in the game which contributed to all five of Endicott's runs going as unearned.
GAME TWO: UMASS DARTMOUTH 11, ENDICOTT 4
UMass Dartmouth rebounded from their game loss to Endicott by putting up seven runs over the final two innings to beat Endicott 11-4. Corsairs senior first baseman Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I.) drove in two runs as part of his 3-for-5 performance at the plate while freshman centerfielder Nate Tellier (Attleboro, Mass.) swiped three bags and score three times.
In the top of the sixth, Cacciola hit a RBI single to break a 4-4 tie and was followed by three consecutive Endicott fielding errors that led to four more runs. The next Corsairs trip to the plate in the top of the seventh resulted in two more runs as Tellier stole third and advanced home on the throw to second during a double steal attempt and sophomore third baseman Cotey Monte (Swansea, Mass.) drew a bases loaded walk to cap the scoring at 11 UMass Dartmouth runs.
Corsairs starting pitcher Dylan Collett (Albany, N.Y.) went the distance to improve to 2-0 on the year. He struck out six batters and gave up four runs, two earned, on eight hits with no free passes.
For the Gulls, both DeDonato and freshman catcher Ian Schmidt (Plymouth, Conn.) went 2-for-3 at the plate. DeDonato scored twice and knocked in a run while Schmidt registered a run. Senior centerfielder Cam Farnham (Andover, Mass.) singled in the bottom of the third and dropped a suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the fourth that scored Schmidt.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott dropped to 7-3 all-time against UMass Dartmouth with their game two loss.
- Gulls junior designated hitter Bailey Train (Cumberland, Maine) hit a single up the middle in the bottom of the first to score DeDonato. He has recorded RBIs in two straight appearances.
- While Endicott pitching struggled in game two, relievers Eric Nagle (Manchester, Conn.) and Victor Molle (Peabody, Mass.) combined to pitched a scoreless inning and escape separate jams.
- Starter Luke Morse (Westford, Mass.) went 2 1/3 innings and allowed one hit with two walks while striking out one batter. Three runs crossed the plate during his time on the mound.
FOR THE FOES
- UMass Dartmouth was outhit in the game 8-to-6 but took advantage of five Endicott errors to win game two.
- Both sophomore shortstop Erick Ramirez (Boston, Mass.) and junior second baseman Josh O'Neill (Halifax, Mass.) had RBIs in the win.
- Including Tellier's three stolen bases, the Corsairs managed to swipe six total bags.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (5-2) plays their final contest of the 2017 RussMatt Invitational when they take on Clarkson at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning at Chain of Lakes Park. UMass Dartmouth (4-6) also has one final game in their spring break trip. They take on William Paterson at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.