FITCHBURG, Mass. 4/22/10 – The Keene State College baseball team, led by sophomore centerfielder Kyle Morrill's (Auburn, N.H.) bases-clearing triple in the top of the ninth, defeated the Fitchburg State Falcons 8-5 in non-conference action at the Elliot Athletic Complex.

The Owls, who have won four of their last five, improve to 16-12-1 on the season, while the loss drops the Falcons below .500 at 12-13 on the campaign.

Heading into the eighth frame, Fitchburg State held a slim one run lead (5-4) as the Falcons responded from three runs down. Junior Brian Ware (Beverly, Mass.) led the Falcons two-run, third inning with a RBI single that plated two, before notching the go-ahead RBI with a seeing-eye single in the seventh.

 The Owls quickly answered back, tying the contest in the top of the eighth frame as junior Vincent Ganz (Waterbury, Conn.) led off the frame with a single to left and moved into scoring position on a Morrill sacrifice bunt. One batter later, Keene knotted the score at 5-5 as freshman Sean Gavin (Keene, N.H.) delivered a RBI single to left-field, setting up Morrill's, ninth inning heroics.

With the score tied (5-5) in the top of the ninth inning, Keene State rallied for three runs on two hits as Morrill belted a three-run triple to right-center field. The Owls opened the inning with a double by Anthony Cipolla (Glastonbury, Conn.) and a pair of walks before Morrill stepped in and laced a bases-clearing three bagger for the eventual game-winning runs.

Junior John Phelan (Walpole, Mass.) led Fitchburg State's six hit approach, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, while Ware hit a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI.

On the Owl's side, Cipolla collected a 3-for-4 day with two singles and a double, while Morrill ended 2-for-4 with a team-best three RBI. Juniors Bobby Doyon (Keene, N.H.) and Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.)  also turned in strong performances, chipping in with a home-run apiece. Doyon, who now has nine home runs this season, tied the school career record (28) held by Greg Ford.

On the hill, junior Kyle Davis (Rochester, N.H.) picked up the win for Keene, tossing two innings of one-run relief. Owl sophomore Dan Wogksch (Bethel, Conn.) hurled a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the season, while freshman Alex Teal (Malden, Mass.) suffered the loss for the Falcons (1-3), surrendering three runs on two hits and two walks over 1.1 innings of relief. 

Keene State will return to action Saturday with an LEC doubleheader against UMass-Boston starting at noon.

(Courtesy Fitchburg State Sports Information)