NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The Suffolk baseball team concluded its non-conference slate with its longest game of the year Thursday afternoon, topping UMass Dartmouth, 3-2, in 10 innings, for its seventh straight victory. Freshman Jake Frasca delivered the game-winning home run with an opposite field blast in the top of the 10th, breaking up the 2-2 tie since the end of the eighth.
Seven of the nine Rams' (29-9) starters had a hit, as the blue-and-gold posted 12 knocks in the victory.
Suffolk got on the board with a pair of doubles in the third. Sean Cameron, who went 2-for-4 with one run, crossed home when Brady Chant singled through the left side.
UMass Dartmouth (14-18) even the playing field with one run in the fifth as Erick Ramriez' single to right field scored Jose Vasquez, who reached on a fielder's choice, to make it a 1-1 game.
The Corsairs had a new arm on the bump to open the eighth, with David Tarr taking over the reigns, but that that did not stop the Rams from loading the bases with two outs. Zach Grogan sent a single up the middle to put the visitors back in front, 2-1, as Drew Carter came in.
The Rams' advantage did not hold for long, however, as the hosts evened the score in the bottom half of the inning. A walk, single and an intentional walk stacked the bases for Kenneth Michael with one out. The designated hitter sacrificed himself on a fly ball to center field to score Josh O'Neill and knot the game at 2-all.
Another new hurler, just the second of the Corsairs' five of the day, came in in the top of the night. Matt Cornin retired the Rams in order to keep things at 2-2. Suffolk's closer Cal Carroll came in for Kyle Turner on the hill and did the same to the Corsairs to send the contest to extras.
Matt Russell took over the mound in the 10th for UMass Dartmouth and quickly put two outs on the board as Jon Lapolla flied out and Carter went down swinging. The two outs and tied game did not hold back for Frasca. The infielder knocked his seventh out-of-the-park ball of the season to give Suffolk a 3-2 lead for good.
Carroll and the Rams' defense sealed the win with the senior right-hander putting two away, walking the third, before Taylor Cacciola's line out to Carter at first closed the game.
Carroll (2-1) earned his second victory of the season in two innings of action, two strikeouts and one walk. Turner worked the first eight on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits, punching out four and walking three.
Suffolk looks to push its win streak to nine and become the second winningst team in Rams' 69-year baseball history Saturday in their season finale Saturday with a GNAC doubleheader at Albertus Magnus.