Baseball Preview: Lesley

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College baseball squad will seek their first New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) victory of the season as the Blazers take on Lesley University in an NECC doubleheader Tuesday evening at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Massachusetts. First pitch of game one is slated for 5:00 p.m.

The Blazers sit at 5-8 on the season, and 0-3 in NECC play through the opening month of the 2015 season, and are currently riding a five-game losing skid. Through 13 games, Elms has generated 56 runs on 95 hits while batting .244 from the plate with 21 extra-base hits. Senior outfielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) leads the Blazers from the dish, batting a team-high .372 with 16 hits, including five doubles, with nine runs scored, six RBIs and three stolen bases. Sophomore Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) has driven in a team-high eight runs on 17 hits with five doubles and scored eight times. Sophomore Tim Gelzinis (North Dighton, Mass.) has 12 hits with six RBIs, while senior Geoff Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) has knocked in five runs on 11 hits with three doubles.

On the mound, junior Andrew Sadowski (Northampton, Mass.) sports a team-low 3.32 earned run average through three starts, posting 22 strikeouts, third-most in the NECC, in 19 innings with two complete game efforts. Junior Tom Weldon (Springfield, Mass.) owns a 1-2 record in four appearances with a league-high 28 strikeouts in 21 frames with two complete games. Senior Sean Sinnott (Granby, Conn.) is 1-1 in three starts with 22 strikeouts, ranking third in the NECC, while junior Brian Langdon (Beacon Falls, Conn.) has registered two saves in five-plus innings of work with eight punchouts.

The Lesley Lynx are 6-9 overall, and own the third spot in the NECC standings with a 3-2 mark after posting back-to-back wins over Daniel Webster last Friday evening. The Lynx have produced 63 runs in 15 games, batting .302 from the plate with 30 extra-base hits. Seven players have double-digit hit totals for Lesley, led by senior catcher Joe Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) and junior infielder Gustavo Polidor (Caracas, Venezuela) with 18 hits and three doubles apiece. Senior John Gosnell (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) leads the NECC in batting with a .500 mark (16-of-32), while junior infielder Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.) ranks third in the conference in RBIs with 16, along with four stolen bases and five doubles. Senior Robert Parson (Commack, N.Y.) has 12 hits with four doubles, and sophomore Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass.) has added 10 hits with three doubles and a triple.

The Lynx rotation features freshman Tom Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), who leads the NECC in wins and complete games with three each, and ranks second in strikeouts with 25. Junior Koby Mitchell (Fall River, Mass.) has made a team-high eight appearances totaling 24 innings of work with 15 strikeouts, and freshman Bryan Hildebrand (Milford, Mass.) owns a 2.77 earned run average, allowing four earned runs in 13 innings pitched. Senior Ray Cohen (Coventry, R.I.), and freshmen Nick Iadevalo (Mineola, N.Y.) and Jeff Heinz (Portsmouth, N.H.) have each recorded wins for the Lynx. 

All time, the Blazers hold an 11-2 advantage over Lesley in 13 career meeting dating back to 2011. During the 2014 season, the Lynx won two of three regular season meetings, and Elms defeated Lesley, 8-2, during the NECC Championship tournament.

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