BOSTON, Mass. – One day after dealing with a lot of rain, it was a different and much more welcome "Rain" that aided the cause on Thursday afternoon in an elimination game.  Tommy Ahlers had four hits including a home run and drove in six runs, Ethan Rainha delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the 11th inning, and Troy Brennan fired 4.2 scoreless innings of relief as the Keene State College baseball team stayed alive at the Little East Conference tournament, knocking out Rhode Island College 10-9 in a wild extra inning affair at Monan Park on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Boston.  The Owls advance to Friday, where they will take on the loser of Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth at 7:00 p.m.

Records

• Keene State:  21-21
• Rhode Island College:  16-19

How It Happened
It did not look great early for KSC, who fell behind 4-0 through two innings and allowed runs in each of the first four frames, including four in the fourth to fall behind 9-7 after they had rallied for a 7-5 lead.  However, David Floyd settled things down and Brennan carried on from there, entering in the seventh as the duo combined to keep Rhode Island College – playing as the home team – scoreless for the final seven innings.

This allowed the Owls to rally, scoring two in the eighth to tie the game and eventually one in the 11th as Rainha, a freshman, came up with the biggest hit of the season to that point.  The frame began with Harrison Mansfield walking Evan McCue, and Alec Varano followed with a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position.  Rainha then came through, bouncing a base hit up the middle that delivered the go-ahead run as KSC took their first lead since the fourth inning.  There was a chance for more as Evan Cali reached on a miscue on his bunt and Ahlers ripped a base hit into center, but Jonathan Chatfield lined out to first in what turned into a double play to keep it a one-run game.

Brennan, who has emerged into one of the Owls' more reliable back end arms, continued his surge, working around a leadoff infield single by Sean Helfrich to retire the next three in a row without him ever moving into scoring position.  A pair of fly outs had the Anchormen down to their final out, and Daniel Cascio bounced out harmlessly to first to end a game that lasted nearly four hours – the second straight day KSC has been at the field for that long after their first round contest against Eastern Connecticut saw a delay before the game, two during the game, and lasted over two and a half hours in actual game action.  Brennan has now allowed a run in 18.2 innings in KSC's wins this season, walking only four and striking out 12.  Since the Owls started 4-11, he has a 3-1 record, five saves, and a 2.55 ERA as they have gone 17-10 since.

Keene State has now 31 LEC tournament wins in their program's history since they joined the conference in 1997, with today their first since 2017.  But it did not come easily, as they had to notch their third win when trailing after seven.

After going down in order in the seventh, the Owls generated a threat against Stephen Sullivan in the eighth down 9-7 as Varano singled and Rainha, who entered as a pinch-hitter, walked.  Cali then greeted Jason Potvin with a base hit to load the bases with nobody out and KSC made good, tying the game at nine with consecutive sacrifice flies from Ahlers and Chatfield.

The teams were not without chances in the late innings.  In the ninth, Justin Wardwell doubled with two outs to put a runner in scoring position.  However, KSC opted to intentionally walk pinch-hitter Casio and then froze David Iannuccilli for a strikeout to send it to extras.  The Owls then wasted Ahlers' leadoff double and Chatfield's walk to begin their half of the 10th, but worked around a leadoff walk in the bottom half after Parker Camelo was thrown out trying to score from first with two outs on Cole Podedworny's double to left as Shea Zina fired to Otis Follet, who fired a perfect relay home to get Camelo by a lot to keep KSC's season alive – and it did not take them long to cash in.

Early, it did not seem as though there might be too much late drama, as Rhode Island College opened a 4-0 lead in the first two innings as Owls starter Camden Thomas struggled one start after his rookie season and career-best 11 strikeouts against Plymouth State University. After KSC left a pair on in the first, the first three Anchormen reached including an RBI double by Podedworny that put them on the board.  Helfrich followed with a sacrifice fly that made it 2-0, and after Keene State stranded a runner in scoring position in the second, Rhode Island College saw five straight reach with two outs in the second as they doubled the lead.

The offense continued to come fast and furious, as Ahlers' third home run since last Friday sliced the deficit in half in the top of the third, though RIC answered with a walk, hit batter, and single to center in the bottom half to make it 5-2.

The Owls finally broke through in the fourth with a crooked number against Anchormen starter Misael Laboy, who labored with command the entire game.  KSC loaded the bases with one out as Zina walked, Varano singled, and Hamilton Barnes was hit with a pitch.  A wild pitch brought home a run to make it 5-3, and Cali worked another free pass to reload the bases.  Ahlers, who has been a clutch hit machine, then came up with another, clearing the bases for a 6-5 lead and ending Laboy's day.  He later scored on a passed ball for a two-run advantage.

Just as quickly, Rhode Island College snatched the momentum back in the bottom half, answering with four runs, all of which were unearned thanks to a pair of KSC errors.  The inning likely should have ended on Wardwell's fly ball to right, but it was misplayed for the second error and the Anchormen instead were left with the bases loaded and one out in what was a 7-6 game.  A grounder to third then tied it, and RIC was not finished, going up 9-7 on Camelo's two-out, two-run single.

Keene State left three on base over the next two innings, including stranding runners at second and third with two outs in the sixth, but saved some of their most clutch at bats for the end.

"Troy Brennan and David Floyd did a great job out of the bullpen settling the game down," said Owls head coach Jutin Blood.  "Tommy Ahlers was Superman at the plate and Ethan Rainha made a couple big plays and had a huge at bat to drive in the go-ahead run."

"We've had two crazy days so far and are excited to keep playing postseason baseball."

Brennan (3-3) got the win, allowing five hits in his 4.2 scoreless innings.  He walked two and struck out two.

Mansfield fell to 2-3, the final of five RIC pitchers, as he allowed three hits and a run over the final 2.1 innings with two walks and one strikeout.

The starters did not factor into the decision, as Laboy allowed seven runs (six earned) in 3.1 innings with five walks and two whiffs while Thomas lasted 2.1 innings, allowing five hits and five runs.  He walked three and struck out two.

Offensively, Ahlers now has 42 RBI this season, tied for the 15th most in a single-season in program history (with Justin Hickman in 2002 and Erik Bergstrom in 2011).  Brennan also tied the school record for appearances in a season with 20 (Keith Simpson, 2016).

Cali (2-4, 3 BB, 2 R) and Varano (2-3, 2 BB, 2 R) also had multi-hit games for KSC at the plate.

Lucas McElroy had a five-hit game for RIC and Camelo was 3-for-5 and drove in three out of the No. 9 spot.  Helfrich finished with 3 RBI, but the Anchormen dropped seven of their final 10 after beating eventual No. 1 seed UMass-Boston 18-16 in the opener of a home doubleheader on April 21.

Keene State advances to take on the loser of a 1-0 game (which will occur at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, May 10) between UMD and ECSU tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.  Host and top-seeded UMB improved to 2-0 at the tournament, beating the University of Southern Maine 4-1 in today's final game to leave four teams standing through two days (USM lost a first round game to UMass-Dartmouth 6-0 to begin the day).  The winner of Friday's second game between UMB and either UMD or ECSU will advance to the championship round, where they would have to be beaten twice.