Baseball and Newbury College Split NECC Action

Box Scores

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Elms College junior designated hitter Reynaldo Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) went a combined 4 for 7 at the plate with a pair of doubles and an RBI to help lift the Blazers to a doubleheader split with Newbury College in Saturday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball action at Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Newbury won the first game 3-2 in eight innings, while Elms won the nightcap, 10-6. The Blazers now stand at 9-9 overall, 2-3 in NECC play, while Newbury moves to 12-11 overall, 3-4 in league action.

Newbury 3, Elms 2 (8 innings)

With the score knotted at 2-2 after five innings, the sides played a scoreless sixth and seventh inning to send the game to extras. Elms was retired in order in the top of the eighth setting up Alex Chetelat (Farmington, Conn.) who doubled to lead off the Nighthawks' eighth and then scored the game-winning run when Russell DeMatties (Hamden, Conn.) cracked a walk-off double to left center field to give Newbury a 3-2 win.

Rivera and senior left fielder Donald Morse (Alfred, Maine) tallied two hits each for the Blazers and freshman starter Curtis LeBeau (Auburn, Mass.) pitched all seven innings on the hill and fired two strikeouts but suffered the loss to fall to 1-3 on the season.

Elms scored in the top of the first when Morse doubled in junior third baseman Nicolino Iavicoli (Hampden, Mass.).

Newbury tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third stanza when Patrick Curry (Hampstead, N.H.) connected for a run-scoring single that plated Joey Herer (Needham, Mass.).

Both teams pushed a run across in the fifth frame to set the stage for Newbury's walk-off win in the eighth inning.

Newbury starter Shawn Marcelle (Bristol, Vt.) pitched the final two innings and got the win to improve to 4-1.

Curry totaled three of Newbury's seven hits and drove in two runs to spark the Nighthawks' offensive efforts.

Elms 10, Newbury 6

In the nightcap, the teams took a 1-1 deadlock into the bottom of the fourth before Newbury chalked up three runs on the strength of an RBI double by Matthew Clawson (Tolland, Conn.) and an RBI single by Curry.

The Blazers responded in the top of the fifth inning erupting for seven runs as Morse and Rivera drove in a run each on bases loaded walks, junior second baseman Andrew Kravontka (Manchester, Conn.) hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and senior catcher Carm Bonavita (Springfield, Mass.) and senior shortstop Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) cracked RBI singles to give Elms a 6-4 lead. Sophomore center fielder Stephen Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) followed that with a two-run single to right field to up the lead to 8-4 before a fly out ended the rally.

Newbury got a run back in the sixth inning, but two runs by the Blazers in the top of the seventh increased Elms' lead to 10-5, before the Nighthawks scored once in the seventh and could get no closer allowing the Blazers to earn a 10-6 victory and secure the split.

Elms' senior left-handed pitcher Nick Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) tossed six innings and allowed just one earned run on eight hits and moves to 3-1 on the season. Nick Cordeiro struck out three, while sophomore reliever Ryan Burnette (Chicopee, Mass.) pitched a scoreless seventh frame.

Brendan Cordeiro and Iavicoli smacked three hits and drove in two runs each, while Fisher was an impressive 4 for 5 with two RBI as the top three hitters in the Blazers' batting order went a combined 10 for 14 with five runs scored and six runs driven in.

Newbury's Kyle Schiavone (Wethersfield, Conn.), Michael Dean (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Daniel Kovner (Hamden, Conn.) totaled two hits apiece in the losing effort for the Nighthawks.

Starter Travis Wade (Portland, Maine) fanned five batters but suffered the loss and moves to 1-2 on the season.

Elms and Newbury will conclude the series on Sunday at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.