Blazers And Hawks Split Dramatic Double-Header

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Elms College baseball team split a dramatic double-header with Becker in New England Collegiate Conference action at Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass., on Saturday.

The Blazers broke a scoreless tie with a seven-run sixth to pick up a 7-0 win in the opening game before falling 10-8 in extra-innings in a back-and-forth second game.

The Blazers (4-15, 1-4 NECC) and Hawks (6-15, 3-4 NECC) will wrap up the three-game series back at Mackenzie Stadium with a single-game on Sunday with Becker serving as the home team.

GAME 1 – Elms 7, Becker 0
Thomas Owens scattered seven hits without allowing a run and got an outburst of run support in the sixth to pick up the win.

With the game still scoreless entering the bottom of the sixth, the Elms offense got hot. Singles from Andy Vasquez, Alex Hoss, Thomas Slane, Josh Pasini, Keven Banas, and Vasquez again, and walks from Ben Ross, Nathan Ayala and Jaeden Rasmus provided more than enough run-support to compliment Owens' gem, as the Blazers jumped ahead 7-0 before shutting the Hawks down in the top of the seventh for the win.

Vasquez picked up two RBIs in the process while Slane, Ayala, Pasini, Banas and Rasmus each added one.

GAME 2 – Becker 10, Elms 8 (8 Innings)
The Blazers were on the wrong side of a late-rally in a 10-8 extra-inning loss.

Elms pulled ahead 3-0 in the bottom of the first before Becker stormed back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the second. A four-run fourth inning left the Blazers ahead 7-3 but once again, Becker tied the game in the next half inning, scoring four runs of its own in the top of the fifth.

The Hawks took an 8-7 lead in the top of the sixth before Elms tied it up once again with a run in the bottom of the sixth. The Blazers, however, weren't able to match a pair of Becker runs in the top of the eighth, falling 10-8.

Elms tallied 13 hits in the game and scored all eight runs off Becker starter Tanyon Ventres. Blazer starter Matt Plasse went 4.2 innings, giving up six earned runs and nine hits while striking out eight batters.

Slane was dominant at the plate for Elms, going 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs. Vasquez finished 2-for-3 in the second game with an RBI and Ross and Brandon Bennett each went 2-for-4.