Box Score WINTER HAVEN, Fla.--Senior co-captain
Steve Ambrosino was among five Golden Bears with at least two hits apiece in Western New England's 13-hit attack, but it wasn't enough as UMass-Dartmouth built a large lead and then had to hang on for a 9-5 non-conference victory in a RussMatt Baseball Invitational game at Chain of Lakes Park on Sunday morning. Western New England drops to 2-4 on the season while the Corsairs now stand at 2-1 overall.
Sophomores Scott Hubener, Connor Hayes, Doug Milne and junior Matt Anziano added two hits each for WNE, which trailed 9-1 through seven innings.
Leadoff hitter Ryan Medeiros went 5-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI and Connor Shaw was 3-for-6 with three driven in for the Corsairs, who recorded 16 hits.
The Golden Bears made things interesting with four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate. Freshman
Erik Laaksonen pinch-hit to leadoff and promptly delivered a double. One out later, Hayes knocked in Laaksonen with a single and moved to third base after an Ambrosino double. With runners at second and third, Milne laced a single to make it 9-4. Two walks and a strikeout later, sophomore
Brett Morgan drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in another run.
But relief pitcher Matt Russell stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout to earn his first save, and UMD escaped further damage.
The teams traded runs in the first inning. Medeiros scored an unearned run on an error for a UMD 1-0 lead in the "visitor's" top half, but WNE came right back with a sacrifice fly to center by junior
Steve Buckley.
UMass-Dartmouth broke open what was still a close game at 5-1 after six innings with four runs in the next frame.
Western New England is back in action here at 1:30 p.m. Monday versus Trinity-Conn. in a non-conference doubleheader.
Notes: After going 0-for-6 Saturday in a twinbill against Bowdoin, Scott Hubener had his fourth multi-hit game of the season already today...junior pitcher Trevor Breton is 2-0 with 14 strikeouts and a 0.75 earned-run average over 12 innings...Western New England hasn't started 1-3 in the RussMatt Invitational since 2011, when the Golden Bears won a school-record 42 games...Steve Buckley leads the team with 2 home runs and 7 RBI...WNE and UMD each left 13 runners on base today.
