KEENE, N.H. – The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth scored eight of the final nine runs in the last four innings to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 9-3 win over the Keene State College baseball team in the opener of a Little East Conference doubleheader Friday afternoon at Owl Athletic Complex.  The Corsairs then jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap and saw that lead vanish, but scored the final five runs to complete a sweep with a 12-7 win.

Records

• Keene State:  6-28, 2-14 LEC
• UMass-Dartmouth:  15-21-1, 6-10 LEC

Postgame Interview with Coach Blood
Beayon Grand Slam (Highlight Clip)

How It Happened – Game One
The Owls took a 2-1 lead in the second and had several chances to expand it further, but left seven on base in the opening five innings and it wound up biting them as UMD scored eight runs in the final two innings.  The Corsairs' Andrew Bryant finished with five hits including a home run in the first inning that gave his team a quick 1-0 lead.  He later tied the game at two with a single to left in the sixth, and overall drove in a pair of runs.  Zak Souza had three RBI, including a go-ahead solo home run to center in the seventh that made it 3-2.  An error plated another in that inning, and after KSC managed just a one-out walk in their trip to the plate in the bottom half, UMass-Dartmouth broke the game open by scoring four times with two outs in the eighth inning.  Souza singled home two runs to make it 6-2 before Kyle Denis and Matthew Klett followed with RBI doubles.  The Corsairs had eight hits as a team over the first seven innings (KSC also had eight) and then piled on seven total over the eighth and ninth.

Despite Bryant's early home run, Keene State rebounded to take a 2-1 lead by scoring a run in each of their first two trips to the plate.  In the first, Michael Montembeault cracked a two-out RBI single to center to tie the game.  Mike Collins was plunked to open the second and scored all the way from first on a botched rundown play after Mark Barrett's infield single.  UMD second baseman Devyn Vezina slid to keep the ball in the infield and seemed to have Barrett hung up between first and second after he rounded first base, but the Owl shortstop was able to get back to first safely and, in the meantime, Collins scored.

KSC starter Brendan Muhs kept KSC's 2-1 lead in tact for a while, putting up four consecutive zeroes until UMD plated the game-tying run in the sixth.  He finished with a quality start overall, allowing three earned runs (four overall) in seven innings, but fell to 2-6.  He did not walk anybody, struck out two, and needed just 70 pitches.

The Corsairs' Tylor Arruda (2-3) picked up the win after going four innings in relief and allowing one run and two hits.  He walked one and struck out two.

How It Happened – Game Two
A grand slam by Josh Beayon capped a seven-run second inning as KSC erased a 7-0 deficit quickly, but the Corsairs scored single runs in five of the final seven innings to post a 12-7 win.  The Owls struggled defensively, making five miscues, and also struck out 13 times at the plate.  UMD starter Ryan Bruning lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing seven runs (two earned) on two hits with three walks and a strikeout, but KSC could not solve reliever Adam Maher (1-0), who struck out eight in 5.1 innings.  Down 9-7 in the fifth, the Owls had a key scoring opportunity when Nathaniel Hudson roped a double just inside the left field foul line to lead off the frame and Beayon followed with a walk.  Montembeault executed a sacrifice bunt perfectly to put two in scoring position, but two swinging strikeouts followed to leave both right where they were.  The Owls never had two runners on at the same time again after that.  Over the final 7.1 innings, Maher and Logan Maitland did not allow a run and struck out 12.  UMass-Dartmouth methodically widened the lead back out, going up 10-7 in the sixth on a two-out sacrifice fly before tacking on runs in the last two innings on RBI singles by Souza and Chase Stafford, respectively.

Phil Nichols (1-6) got the ball to start for the Owls, allowing eight runs (five earned) in three innings.  He walked three and whiffed three.  KSC's defense did not do him any favors, as an error on what should have ended the inning proved costly when the next batter, DJ Perron, hit a two-run homer to left.  Then in UMass-Dartmouth's five-run second, the Owls made three miscues and walked two as a 2-0 hole widened to 7-0.  Nichols struck out Souza and Matt Tempone to start the frame for two quick outs, but the third did not come for quite a while after that.

As it turns out, all Keene State needed to erase that deficit was one trip to the plate and one big swing.  Three of the first six batters worked a walk against Bruning with Junior Santos adding a single right back to the pitcher.  The Owls' first three runs came home on a fielder's choice and a walk and hit batter with the bases loaded.  Then came Beayon, who launched a grand slam on a key piece of opposite field hitting to tie the game at seven.  The Owl sophomore was a force at home this season, hitting .368 with four doubles, three triples, a home run, and 16 RBI in 12 games at Owl Athletic Complex.  In the seven-run frame, KSC's final five runs came after the second out was recorded.

A passed ball helped give the Corsairs a lead again (8-7) in the very next half inning and dashed some of KSC's momentum, which was further drained by UMD's pair of relief pitchers that mostly shut down the Owl lineup.

In addition to Beayon's grand slam and four RBI, Hudson finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI for Keene State offensively.

Souza, hitting .169 entering the day, was 3-for-4 in Game 2 and drove home two runs for UMD, while DJ Perron was 2-for-3 with a double, home run, three RBI, and two walks.  Bryant finished 7-for-11 with three runs batted in on the day and extended his hitting streak to 20 consecutive games.

Around the Horn

• Before the games, the Owls honored Collins, Joe Barter, Will Dolaher, Montembeault, Brendan Eaton, Greg Esposito, Lucas McClanahan, and Alex Koletar for their contributions to the program.
• Keene State leads the all-time series 29-27, but has now lost eight consecutive games to UMass-Dartmouth including six in a row at Owl Athletic Complex.  The Owls have not made the Little East Conference tournament since 2017.
• Daft finishes his rookie season with a team-best .301 batting average and .454 on-base percentage, 10 RBI, and more walks than strikeouts (23-21).  Barter and Eaton shared the team-lead with four home runs, while Beayon had the most RBI with 21.
• The Owls hit .215 as a team and struggled with runners in scoring position, hitting .183 in those situations.

Up Next

• KSC's season is over.  They dropped their final 13 games, but will aim for significant leaps with the returners and in the second year – first full year – of head coach Justin Blood's tenure.
• UMass-Dartmouth's results and scores around the league gave them the No. 5 seed in the Little East Conference tournament, where they will take on second-seeded Rhode Island College on Wednesday, May 11 in Mansfield, Conn.  Eastern Connecticut State University clinched the top seed by sweeping the University of Massachusetts-Boston.  Plymouth State University also got in (thanks to a tiebreaking win over UMB), emerging from a three-way tie with Castleton University and Western Connecticut State University, who were both eliminated.