May 15, 2008

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. - On a day they needed their offense to come through, the Minutemen bats obliged, as UMass baseball (18-25, 11-14 A-10) defeated Fordham (27-24-1, 11-14 A-10) by a score of 12-10 on Thursday afternoon at Earl Lorden Field. UMass scored six runs in the second inning and four more in the third to take control of the game after falling behind, 3-0, after the top of the second. There were six home runs in the game, with the Rams hitting four and UMass hitting two. Mike Donato (East Hartford, Conn.) and Andy Tuetken (Smithfield, R.I.) each hit home runs for the Minutemen. Ryan Franczek (Chicopee, Mass.) collected a single, a double, and a triple, while Adam Tempesta (Brockton, Mass.) drove in three runs.

Mike Dicato (Winthrop, Mass.) (5-3) earned the victory, pitching six innings and allowing eight runs on nine hits and striking out four. Mitchell Eilenberg (Brooklyn, N.Y.) threw the final three innings for his seventh save of the season. J.P. Mack took the loss for Fordham, lasting just 1 2/3 innings and allowing six runs on six hits.

After Mike Mobbs hit a solo home run in the top of the second to make it a 3-0 game, UMass came roaring back in the bottom half of the inning. Brian Baudinet (Watertown, Conn.) singled with the bases loaded to bring in UMass' first run, followed by Tempesta walking to bring in another. Jim Macdonald then singled to center to plate to more runs and give UMass a 4-3 lead, but they weren't done yet. Bryan Garrity's (Peabody, Mass.) two-out single to right-center scored two more runs to make it 6-3.

After Eric Reese's home run in the top of the third made it 6-4, UMass put up another big inning. Franczek's triple to left center scored Baudinet (single). After Tempesta knocked in Franczek with a sacrifice fly, Macdonald doubled down the left field line, setting the stage for Donato's third home run of the season, a high blast to left field on a 2-0 pitch, giving UMass a 10-4 lead.

The Rams got back within striking distance in the fourth when Rich Goulian hit a three-run home run.

Tuetken hit a line-drive home run to left in the fourth, his third of the season, and Tempesta led off the fifth with a double and later scored on a groundout, making it 12-7.

The Rams chipped away at the lead with Mobbs' second home run of the day in the sixth inning, a P.J. Como triple followed by a sacrifice fly in the eighth, and a RBI single by Reese in the ninth, to make it 12-10, but with a runner on and the tying run at the plate, Eilenberg was able to get a fly ball to end the game.

The Minutemen and Rams continue their three-game series at Earl Lorden Field on Friday at 1 p.m.