SPRINGFIELD, MASS.  3/23/11 – The Keene State College baseball team began its north schedule with a 6-1 victory over Springfield College at Berry-Allen Field in a game that was played despite light-falling snow.

Winners of six straight the Owls improve to 9-2.  The Pride (5-5) has dropped five in a row.

Keene State pushed across two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 2-1 lead.  With one out, junior Kyle Morrill (Auburn, N.H.) doubled and scored on a RBI double down the right field line by sophomore Greg Bates (Salem, N.H.).  Senior Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.) singled to left center to score Bates.

The Owls added four more runs in the ninth.  Senior Bobby Doyon (Keene, N.H.) had a two-run single to center and junior Dan Arsenault (Hot Springs, Ark.) knocked in two more runs with a single to left field. 

Keene State finished the game with 16 hits.  Bates, DiPrato, and Arsenault each had three hits while freshman Nick Vita (Spofford, N.H.) and Morrill had two hits. 

"Despite the conditions, I thought the guys hit the ball very hard," said KSC Coach Ken Howe. 

Springfield pulled off a triple play in the third inning.  With runners on first and third, Doyon hit a hard one hopper to the third baseman who tagged the bag and threw to second.  The second baseman flipped the ball to first to complete the round-the-horn triple play. 

The Owls used five pitchers in the game.  Sophomore John Coughlin (Litchfield, N.H.) got the stated and tossed four innings of two hit ball with five strikeouts and one walk.  Junior Dan Wogksch (Bethel, Conn.), the Owls' third pitcher, picked up his first win of the season (1-0). He didn't allow a run in his two and a third innings of work, giving up two hits, fanning three and issuing one walk.  Senior Corey Vogt   (Suffield, Conn.) pitched the last inning and a third to notch his first save of the season.  He struck out two and walked one.

Keene State is scheduled to play at Babson College on Thursday (3:30 p.m.).