WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Keene State College baseball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and then scored a pair to tie the game in the fourth, but allowing a four-run second and five-run fourth proved to be far too much to overcome as they dropped a 10-5 non-conference decision to Westfield State University on Tuesday at Bud and Jim Hagan Field.
A game originally scheduled to be played in Keene was moved to Westfield, and the Owls (8-11) wound up falling to 4-10 in true road games this season, allowing double-digit runs in six of those games. After winning the opener of their Little East Conference schedule last Friday to give them a chance to return to .500 for the first time this season, KSC has dropped their last two by a combined 16-8 score.
Westfield State (13-5) got all the runs they would need in two innings, snapping a two-game losing streak (both to conference opponent Massachusetts Maritime Academy) despite making four errors as big innings continued to bite KSC in a big way.
All four of Westfield's runs in the second inning came with two outs, as
Shea Zina allowed a two-out single to Thomas LaSpada before walking No. 8 batter Jonathan Toth and No. 9 batter Alex Martin on five pitches each. Sam Palmer followed with a two-run single to center to tie the game and the next batter Robison Baez then scored two more with a triple to left to put his team up 4-2.
Keene State tied the game at four in the fourth when
Evan McCue bounced a single into left and
Tommy Ahlers followed with a ground ball to third that Devin Slattery booted. However, any momentum disintegrated quickly as Toth beat out an infield single to start the bottom half, moved to second on a wild pitch, and eventually scored on another. Baez cracked another extra-base hit later in the frame, this time an RBI double, to make it 6-4, and Westfield was not done, as a sacrifice fly, another infield single, and a base hit to left made it a five-run inning. The home team hit double-digits in the fifth on a double to the right-center gap by Slattery.
After tying the game in the fourth, KSC's offense was non-existent over the next three innings, managing only one baserunner (a walk to lead off the seventh) until
Emmett Borenstein's one-out homer in the eighth that made it 10-5. The Owls never made much of a threat after that, however, as they never had multiple baserunners on at the same time after the fourth inning.
"We're running out of time to make a real change in how we approach the game," said Keene State head coach
Justin Blood. "Our struggles are not due to a lack of ability, it is a lack of execution and commitment."
Zina (0-2) took the loss, allowing seven hits and six runs in three-plus innings with three walks and three strikeouts. KSC's pitching staff issues five walks, threw five wild pitches, and hit three batters.
Quinn Gallager (1-0) earned the win by tossing three hitless innings of relief with one walk and two strikeouts.
McCue (2-4, RBI, BB, R, K), Ahlers (2-5, 2B, RBI, R), and
Anthony DiGiacomo (2-4, K) had multi-hit efforts for KSC, who had 10 hits but just two for extra bases.
Palmer and Baez combined to drive in five runs out of the top two spots in Westfield's order, partially thanks to KSC allowing four hits and three walks to the bottom three in their lineup.
Keene State, who leads the all-time series 15-6, lost consecutive games to Westfield for the first time since 2003 and 2004.
The Owls return home tomorrow (Wednesday, April 2) to take on Western New England University (11-8) at 3:00 p.m. while Westfield entertains the United States Coast Guard Academy.
