Lesley Completes Comeback Over Baseball

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Elms College baseball team fell to visiting Lesley University, 6-5, in a New England Collegiate Conference game at MacKenzie Stadium Tuesday night. The Blazers dip to 24-8 overall, and 7-5 in the NECC, while Lesley improves to 6-5 in league play, and 13 -13 on the season.

The Lynx jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first with two outs as freshman Jacob Cervantes (Oxnard, Calif.) knocked in a pair with a single into the right-centerfield gap, putting Lesley ahead 2-0.

The Blazers rallied in the bottom of the frame as freshman Alex Hoss (Stafford Springs, Conn.) and junior Aedin Wadja (Lebanon, Conn.) drew back-to-back leadoff walks, followed by an RBI single from junior Stephen Harrison (Southbury, Conn.) to cut the lead to 2-1. Junior Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) ripped an RBI double down the left field line to score Wadja, and then junior Tim Gelzinis (North Dighton, Mass.) laced an RBI single up the middle to put Elms ahead 3-2.

Lesley looked to even the score in the top of the fourth as freshman Ryan Pumphret (Shrewsbury, Mass.) looked to score on a single from  junior J.P. Agiorgousis, but the Blazers executed a perfect relay from centerfield to home, cutting down Pumphret at the plate to preserve the 3-2 score.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Blazers threatened to break the game open, loading the bases with one out. Harrison drew an RBI walk to score junior Brian Hungerford (New Preston, Conn.) to give Elms a 4-2 lead. Hoss scampered home on an RBI sacrifice fly from Zima to extend the Blazers lead to 5-2 after six innings.

The Lynx rallied in the seventh, using singles from Agiorgousis and senior Gustavo Polidor (Caracas, Venezuela) to load the bases with no outs. Sophomore Justin Clark (Chino Hills, Calif.) delivered an RBI single to left field, followed by an RBI single from junior Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass.) to cut the Blazers lead to 5-4. A bases loaded RBI walk to Cervantes evened the score at 5-5, and then an RBI sacrifice fly from Pumphret gave Lesley a 6-5 advantage.

Zima led the Blazers at the plate going 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. Harrison knocked in a pair, while Hoss scored twice. Elms senior Andrew Sadowski (Northampton, Mass.) fanned a season-high nine batters while allowing six runs on 11 hits in six innings of work.

The Lynx cracked 12 hits in the game, led by Pumphret with a 3-for-3 day. Polidor, Clark, Slaby, and Agiorgousis added two hits apiece while Cervantes drove in three runs. Lesley sophomore Tom Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) gave up five runs on six hits in 5.1 innings with four strikeouts in a no decision. Sophomore Jeff Heinz (1-0; Portsmouth, N.H.) earned the win in relief, and sophomore Nick Iadevaio (Mineola, N.Y.) collected his first save of the season with four strikeouts in three innings of relief.

The Blazers will look to return to win column when they host Mitchell College in a NECC doubleheader at MacKenzie Stadium Saturday afternoon. First pitch of game one is slated for 1:00 p.m. Lesley hosts Eastern Nazarene in non-conference action Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.

ELMS BASEBALL