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KEENE STATE OWLS
Baseball Postgame 3.27.2024
5
Keene State KSC 6-12
6
Winner Springfield SPR 11-7
Keene State KSC
6-12
5
Final
6
Springfield SPR
11-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Keene State KSC 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 5 9 0
Springfield SPR 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 X 6 10 2

W: Jarrad Coyne (1-0) L: Brennan, Troy (0-3) S: Max Giacco (1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Ryan Hearn, Sports Information Assistant

KSC Strands Tying Run in Scoring Position in Ninth, Falls to Springfield 6-5

In Back-and-Forth Affair, KSC Can’t Extend Winning Streak to Three

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Ryan Sorgi hit a tiebreaking two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to give Springfield College the lead for the third time on the afternoon, and this time the Pride held it – by a thread – as they beat the Keene State College baseball team 6-5 on Wednesday at Archie Allen Field.

Records
  • Keene State:  6-12
  • Springfield:  11-7
How It Happened
The Owls twice erased deficits, including a 3-0 hole they fell into in the first inning, but could not manage to a third time, coming up short in their bid to extend their winning streak to three games for the first time this season.  In another game decided by two runs or less, it was ultimately the margins that decided the game, as KSC walked five – one of which scored on Sorgi's homer with one out in the seventh that made it 6-4.  The extra run wound up being the decider in the end.  Brendan Eaton tripled to lead off the eighth and scored on Michael Lepere's miscue on the same play to quickly trim the Owls' deficit back down to a run, but the next three went down in order despite two of the outs being line drives.  In the ninth, the hot-hitting Otis Follet (2-for-3 today) drew a walk to lead off the inning and was sacrificed to second by pinch-hitter Luke Anderson to get into scoring position.  However, Hamilton Barnes bounced to third and Tommy Ahlers skied to center to end the game, giving the Pride's Max Giacco his first save of the season.  Of KSC's 12 losses, nine are by two runs or less.

Springfield rapidly jumped out to their three-run lead in the opening frame, as Joe Traversa tripled to right to lead off their day and scored on the first of three consecutive hits two batters later.  Sorgi cracked a double to make it 2-0, scoring Michael Barrett who singled, and then moved to third on Adam Crocker's infield single before scoring on Nate Garafolo's grounder to second.  Just as quickly as the Pride built their lead, it was gone in the very next inning.  Jonathan Chatfield, who returned to KSC's lineup with a multi-hit effort, led off the second with a single and moved up when Traversa booted Shea Zina's grounder to third.  Follet then followed with a double and Alec Varano a single to chip the lead to 3-2, and Follet then came home on a wild pitch later in the inning to tie the game.

KSC starter Jack Lang got out of the second unscathed, but could not escape the third as Garafolo's base hit to center with two outs scored Sorgi and gave the Pride a 4-3 lead, forcing the Owls into the bullpen.  Daniel Cantafi retired the first batter he faced to keep it a one-run lead, and then got out of a two on, one out jam in the fourth.  Keene State tied the game in the top of the fifth with a two-out rally, as Evan Cali lined a ball off pitcher Blake Roberge's foot and Eaton followed with an opposite field single to right to put runners at the corners.  Chatfield then ended Roberge's day with a game-tying single to left to make it 4-4.  It remained that way until the seventh as the middle relief of both sides calmed the game down until Springfield's two runs in the bottom of the seventh ultimately proved to be the difference.

"They made a couple big plays and got one more big hit than we did," said Keene State head coach Justin Blood.  "I thought it was a well-played game overall and we competed well."

Lang lasted 2.2 innings for KSC, allowing six hits and four runs before Cantafi covered the next 2.1 and struck out two while allowing two hits and two walks.  Troy Brennan (0-3) took the loss, allowing two runs on one hit while walking two and whiffing two.

Jarrad Coyne (1-0) got the win for Springfield after tossing a 1-2-3 seventh.

Sorgi was the offensive standout of the day for the Pride, going 3-for-3 with a double, homer, walk, and three RBI.  Crocker was 2-for-3 with a walk and Traversa was 1-for-3 with a triple and a free pass.

Follet (2-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB), Chatfield (2-4, RBI, R), and Eaton (2-4, 3B, R) had multi-hit games to pace Keene State's offense.  It was Chatfield's first action since March 3.  Cali threw out a pair of runners trying to steal.

Around the Horn
  • Eaton is hitting a team-best .397 and has a 1.114 OPS, logging four doubles, four triples, and a pair of home runs in 18 games.  He is reaching base at a .470 clip.
  • Follet has recorded at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games.
  • The Owls have lost by a run in each of their last two visits to Archie Allen Field, but are 14-8 all-time in the series overall.
  • Opponents are just 29-for-39 (74 percent) stealing bases against Cali and company behind the plate this season.
Up Next
  • KSC ventures to the University of Hartford (3-9-1) – Blood's previous coaching stop – on Saturday for a twinbill starting at 12:00 p.m.  The Hawks are in the provisional phase of transitioning from Division I to Division III and are in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, though their league games this season do not count toward the league standings and they are ineligible for the NCAA tournament.
  • Springfield has a NEWMAC doubleheader at Wheaton College (Mass.) (7-4, 1-0) on Saturday starting at 12:00 p.m.
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