BOSTON – The Suffolk baseball team took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth, but the Beacons of UMass Boston used one run in the eighth to tie things up and a walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 6-5 victory at Monan Park Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 5, UMass Boston 6
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-6) | UMass Boston (6-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
UMass Boston put two runs on the board in the bottom of the second as a pitcher's duel held through the first complete five innings. Suffolk did its damage in the top of the sixth with five runs. With one out on the board, Matt Brenner started the rally with a single up the middle and moved over on a wild pitch to set up Seth Coiley. The junior designated hitter struck the Rams' first extra bases hit of the day, a double to left center, to bring in the blue-and-gold's first run in New England. A single from Luke Ronchi and a walk from Zach Grogan loaded the bases, before a ground out from Curtis Tirone scored the tying run.
The Beacons trimmed the deficit to one in the bottom half of the inning, but the Rams kept them there thanks in large part to a three-up, three-down inning, the first and only for the Rams on the day, behind rightie relief pitcher Mark Fusco in the seventh.
The same can't be said for the eight, however, as the Beacons strung together back-to-back doubles to lock the contest at 5-5. Suffolk could not get its offense going in the top of the ninth as it went down in order, and turned to its defense.
With runners on first and second, Anthony Searles sent a deep ball to center field over Chant's head to bring in Lionel Danielson and claim the 6-5 game.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Suffolk put together an eight-hit day with Coiley accounting for three with a 3-for-3 day. He contributed one RBI and one run.
- Ronchi was the only other Ram to tally multiple hits with the senior right fielder going 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored.
- Chant and Tirone had one RBI each with Brenner, Grogan and Neil all scoring one run apiece.
PITCHERS PICTURE
- Worth Walrod faced 30 batters in 6.0 innings, giving up four runs, one earned, on five hits and sat down five batters.
- Fusco suffered the setback in 2.0 innings of work, allowing two runs on three hits with two strikeouts to his credit.
- Tulley picked up the win in 3.1 innings of relief effort with a no-run, two-hit, five-strikeout effort.
- Starter Dan Mantoni went 5.2 innings on the bump with five runs allowed, two earned, on six hits and six Ks.
NOTEWORTHY
- Coiley matched a career-high three hits with its 3-for-3 effort at the dish.
POST-GAME PICS
COMING UP
Suffolk's game two versus the Beacons was postponed and the Rams now set their sights on its home opener tomorrow versus Rhode Island College. Game time at East Boston Memorial Park is scheduled for 1 p.m.
