Box Score HENNIKER, N.H. – Garrett Langis and Tyler Gendron each hit two-run home runs in the first inning and New England College as a team scored five runs in both the first and second frames on their way to an 11-4 victory over the Keene State College baseball team in non-conference action Tuesday afternoon at Laurie Cox Memorial Field.
Records
- Keene State: 1-4
- New England College: 2-10
How It Happened
Not only did the Pilgrims have a 14-run turnaround from one week ago when they scored only one run and lost by seven, they snapped a 13-game losing streak against Keene State, winning against the Owls for the first time since 1998. KSC dropped their fourth straight this year after an opening day win. New England College ended a string of five consecutive losses. The game was never in much doubt, as after Shawn Sears sent KSC down 1-2-3 in the opening frame, NEC scored five times in their first trip to the plate, hitting two home runs – both scoring baserunners who got on with walks. BJ Minarcin whiffed to start
Dean Ruzich's (0-2) outing, but Michael Ciccotelli walked ahead of a two-run blast from Garrett Langis. Connor Morin then took ball four himself, and was followed by Tyler Gendron, who clobbered a pitch over the left field fence for a 4-0 lead. Three more walks with a strikeout mixed in loaded the bases with two outs before Minarcin added a fifth run with a single up the middle.
The Owls went down in order again in the second and then saw New England College blow the game wide open in the second inning, going up 10-0. Their initial run scored without the ball leaving the infield as Langis singled, stole second, and then moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a passed ball. After Gendron flied to center, the Pilgrims recoded four consecutive hits, including a triple by Logan Gadbois, to tack on four more runs. NEC had ten runs and eight hits on the board before the end of the second. They managed just one run and one hit after that, as Keene State freshman reliever
Zach Corrado settled in and wound up allowing three hits and two runs over his five innings while striking out four in his first appearance with the Owls, but the damage had been done early.
KSC cracked the scoreboard against Sears, who rebounded from an extremely rocky relief outing against Rhode Island College on March 26 (0.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R), in the fifth on
Mike Collins' two-out single and threatened to get closer, but stranded a pair in scoring position. Sears (1-0) wound up allowing one run and three hits in his five innings while striking out nine in his first collegiate start.
Keene State had a chance to make it interesting over the next few innings.
Joe Barter connected for his third home run in the last three games, a solo shot, in the top of the sixth to make it 10-2 and
Trent Mayer followed with a single before
Colin McKeon walked to put two on. However, a pick off, foul out, and strikeout prevented the Owls from getting closer. They did score twice in the seventh when
Josh Beayon and Barter cracked consecutive RBI doubles to make it 10-4, but missed a chance to get closer. Mayer and McKeon worked walks after Barter's double, loading the bases with two down, but a pop out to short ended the inning with KSC down six and the only baserunner they had after that came in the form of a leadoff walk in the ninth.
Around the Horn
- Barter has driven in seven runs in the past three games.
- The top five in KSC's order accounted for seven of the team's eight hits and all four RBI. Barter and Colin Grenier each had multi-hit games.
- The Owls stole eight bases in last week's season-opening victory over the Pilgrims but did not have any today. NEC had five.
- KSC is 13-3 in the all-time series since joining Division III.
Up Next
- Keene State plays Plymouth State University (1-3, 0-2 LEC) this weekend, first traveling to Plymouth for a conference doubleheader that starts at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 9.
- New England College visits Elms College (3-1, 3-1 NECC) for a league doubleheader on Saturday (April 10) beginning at 12:00 p.m.
