HARWICH, Mass. - No. 3 Trinity College of Connecticut ran its winning streak to 39 games with a hard-fought 7-2 victory over Western New England College in a winners' bracket game of the NCAA Division III New England Regional Baseball Tournament Thursday evening (May 15) at Whitehouse Field.
Tim Kiely (Swampscott, MA) went the distance striking out 12 for his 10th victory of the season. He allowed 10 hits without a walk and retired the last 11 batters in snapping the Golden Bears' 10-game win streak. Kiely has 87 strikeouts and only one walk in 79 innings this spring.
Trinity scored twice in the top of the fifth to take a 3-0 lead before the Golden Bears struck back for a pair of runs in their half of the inning.
Senior first baseman Travis Schwamb (West Springfield, MA) had the big hit, a two-run single to left that scored sophomore rightfielder Steve Kearney (Glastonbury, CT) who reached on an error and junior centerfielder Chris Newell (Wallingford, CT) who doubled to right.
Schwamb moved to second on a single by sophomore designated hitter Joe Griglun (Southington, CT) before leftfielder Chandler Barnard (Lubbock, TX) made the fielding play of the game with a diving catch on a sinking liner by senior shortstop Ryan Kravontka (Glastonbury, CT) that saved at least one run.
Kiely got out of the inning and gave up only one hit the rest of the way.
The Bantams added three insurance runs in the ninth with a two-run homer by first baseman Kent Graham (Longmeadow, MA) the big hit of the inning. He also had two singles and scored twice.
Shortstop Thomas DeBendetto (Fort Myers, FL) also had three hits and knocked in the first two runs of the game. Catcher Sean Killeen (Greenfield, MA) added a single, double, three runs, and a RBI. Designated hitter Matt Stafford (Plymouth, MA) also had two hits.
Schwamb and Griglun each collected three hits for the Golden Bears while junior leftfielder Mike Beck (Whitesboro, NY) had a pair of singles.
Senior lefty Chris Anderson (Moodus, CT) had a decent outing despite giving up 12 hits and all seven runs, five of which were earned.
He walked five and fanned seven to become the school's all-time strikeout leader with 277, breaking the old mark of 276 set by WNEC Downes Athletic Hall of Famer Dave Baumann (1987-90).
Fifth-seeded Western New England College (32-12) will meet seventh-seeded Worcester State (24-17) in an elimination game starting at 9:30 a.m. on Friday (May 16).
