Baseball Suffers Double-Header Loss to Newbury College, 3-2 and 2-1

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Elms College senior pitcher Matt Wood (Feeding Hills, Mass.) struck out seven batters in game one, but Newbury College was able to escape with a pair of one-run victories, 3-2 and 2-1 in Saturday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball double-header at Warren Field in Brookline, Mass.

With the losses, Elms falls to 7-14, overall, 4-4 in conference play, while Newbury improves to 15-12 overall, 7-5 in league play.

Newbury 3, Elms 2

Elms struck first in the top of the second inning when senior catcher Rey Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) ripped a double and then scored on a single by freshman right fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead.

Newbury answered in the bottom of the second when Alex Chetelat (Farmington, Conn.) blasted a leadoff homer to even the game at 1-1.

The Blazers forged ahead when sophomore shortstop Alex King (Lebanon, Conn.) reached on an error and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Rivera to set the score at 2-1.

The Nighthawks again returned the favor in the bottom of the third when Matthew Clawson (Tolland, Conn.) reached on a fielder's choice driving in Cameron D'Agostino (Salisbury, Mass.), and Michael Dwyer (Hamden, Conn.) stole home when Clawson was picked off trying to steal second to give Newbury a 3-2 edge.

Nighthawks' starter Christopher Ninteau (Lisbon, Conn.) and Wood battled into the seventh inning as neither team allowed a runner past second base until King singled and was then thrown out at home trying to score the tying run on a double by senior left fielder Donny Morse (Alfred, Maine) to end the game.

Ninteau earned the win to improve to 5-1 overall and finished with eight strikeouts, while Clawson entered with one out in the top of the seventh and earned the save – his fourth of the season.

Wood tossed all six frames for the Blazers and suffered the loss to fall to 0-1. Wood struck out seven and scattered just three hits, while Elms' senior third baseman Nico Iavicoli (Hampden, Mass.) added two hits.

Newbury 2, Elms 1

In a pitcher's duel that saw Newbury collect four hits and Elms two hits, the Nighthawks drew first blood in game two in the bottom of the third inning when Kyle Schiavone (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Dwyer both scored on Blazers' miscues to set the score at 2-0.

Elms cut its deficit to one in the top of the sixth inning when King scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore first baseman Zach Dreher (Naugatuck, Conn.). The Blazers could get no closer however as Chetelat, who started the game and pitched all seven innings, improved to 4-1 on the season.

Elms' sophomore starter Curtis LeBeau (Auburn, Mass.) pitched all six innings for Elms and suffered the loss to fall to 2-3 on the season.

Elms returns to non-conference action on Tuesday, April 10 when it hosts Nichols College at 7:30 p.m. at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass.