Becker College Soars Past Baseball, 20-3

Box Score

HOLYOKE, Mass. – Elms College freshman left fielder Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I.) was 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, but Becker College's Keith Kandel (Fresno, Calif.) went 5 for 7 with two doubles and the Hawks connected for 24 hits to help pace Becker to a 20-3 win over the Blazers in Sunday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball game at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass.

With the loss, Elms moves to 6-7 overall, 1-2 in NECC play, while Becker improves to 8-5 on the season, 3-3 in conference action.

Becker plated four runs in the top of the second inning on the strength of an RBI single by Eric Lajoie (Oakham, Mass.) and a run-scoring double down the left field line by Kandel to post an early 4-0 lead.

Elms pulled to within one in the bottom of the third inning when junior second baseman/right fielder Andrew Kravontka (Manchester, Conn.) hit a single into left field and then advanced to third on a fielder's choice and an error before scoring on a double steal set into motion by senior shortstop Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.). Sophomore center fielder Stephen Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) then singled and advanced to second on the throw from the outfield, driving in Brendan Cordeiro with the Blazers' second run of the inning. A groundout advanced Fisher to third before junior left fielder Donald Morse (Alfred, Maine) belted an RBI groundout that sent Fisher home to set the score at 4-3. Becker starter Matt Grenier (Rochester, N.H.) then induced a groundout to second to end the inning with the Hawks clinging to a one-run advantage.

Becker responded with a four-run fourth frame when Lajoie smacked a leadoff single up the middle , stole second and then came full circle on a double down the right field line by Joseph Corey (Billerica, Mass.). Cody Ewest (Warrenton, Ga.) then drove in Corey with a single to left field to give Becker a 6-3 lead. With two on and one out, Mike Marcello (West Haven, Conn.) delivered a single to right field and advanced to third on a two-base fielding error allowing two more runs to cross as the Hawks extended their lead to 8-3 before left-handed reliever John Russell (Springfield, Mass.) entered and ended the inning with a strikeout.

Becker then struck for nine runs in the top of the fifth stanza, collecting eight hits in the inning to stake a commanding 17-3 cushion. The inning was highlighted by back-to-back two-run doubles by Weston Meehan (Thomson, Ga.) and Austin Phillips (Thomson, Ga.).

Becker added a run in the top of the seventh and two in the top of the ninth to seal its 20-3 win.

Grenier pitched the first 6.0 innings for Becker and earned the win, scattering six hits and allowing two earned runs in addition to firing a strikeout to improve to a 3-0 record on the hill.

Matt Laqnello (West Haven, Conn.) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and issued a strikeout and Mike Schoen (Yorktown, N.Y.) fanned two batters to highlight a scoreless ninth inning as the Hawks kept Elms off the board through the final six innings.

Eight batters had multi-hit games for the Hawks, including three-hit efforts by Meehan, Marcello, Lajoie and Todd Tompkins (West Haven, Conn.).

Elms returns to action on Monday, March 28 when it travels to Westfield State University for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference contest.