MANSFIELD, Conn. - Sophomore second baseman/pitcher James Chevalier (AMHERST, NH) hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save as the second-seeded Keene State College baseball team defeated fifth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston 9-8 in the first round of the Little East Conference Baseball Tournament Wednesday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.

"Their pitcher fell behind 2-0 and gave me a fast ball right down the middle," said Chevalier about his home run.  "The ball got caught in the wind and carried over the fence.  "You can count on one hand how many home runs I've had since Little League, but I knew I got that one good."

"It was a back-and forth battle," said KSC Coach Ken Howe.  "Everyone on the bench was very relieved when "Chevy" hit it out."

The Owls (26-11 overall/1-0) advance to a winners' bracket game Thursday night against the winner of a late Wednesday game between the University of Southern Maine and Rhode Island College. UMass Boston  (17-18/0-1) plays Massachusetts Dartmouth in a losers' bracket game at noon Thursday. UMass lost 20-7 to top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University in Wednesday's first game.

Chevalier hit a two-out, solo home run on a 2-0 pitch to left field off UMass Boston sophomore right-handed reliever Tom Michael (MANCHESTER, NH) to break an 8-8 tie. It was Chevalier's first home run in 108 at-bats this season. He went 2-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. In the ninth, Chevalier induced three groundball outs in a 1-2-3 inning to earn his first save.

Keene State College junior right fielder Greg Ford (NASHUA, NH) went 3-for-4 with one run and three RBIs and junior third baseman Joe Rousseau (NASHUA, NH) totaled three RBIs.

UMass Boston took a 7-6  lead on freshman catcher Alnor Rodriguez's (ORLANDO, FL) fifth-inning, three-run home run to left center. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with one run and five RBIs. He had a two-run double to left center in the Beacons' three-run fourth inning.

Senior right fielder Sean Ketterer (PLYMOUTH, MA) went 2-for-4 with a solo home run the fourth for UMass Boston. Senior pitcher/designated hitter Jaime Soto (PEABOBY, MA) totaled three hits, two runs and one RBI and junior third baseman Mike Dorval (BELCHERTOWN, MA) had two hits and scored twice.

The Owls' sophomore left-hander Dan Martin (CROMWELL, CT) pitched two scoreless relief innings to record his first win in his first decision. He allowed no hits, walked none and struck out one.

Michael (1-2) allowed one run (the Chevalier home run), three hits and one walk in 3 2/3 relief innings. He struck out one.