Daniel Webster College Tops Baseball, 6-1

HOLYOKE, Mass. – Elms College junior center fielder Steve Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) was 2 for 4 with a run scored and junior pitcher John Russell (Springfield, Mass.) was solid through eight innings, but Daniel Webster College used a four-run ninth inning, a 3 for 5 effort at the plate by Korey LeLievre (Hudson, N.H.) and a complete-game outing on the hill by LeLievre to help the Eagles post a 6-1 victory over the Blazers and earn the top seed in the upcoming New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) postseason baseball tournament.

With the loss, Elms concludes its regular season 13-22 overall, 9-9 in NECC action and has secured the fourth seed in the NECC postseason tournament. Daniel Webster concludes its regular season 20-17 overall, 13-5 in league action and has secured the top seed and will host the tournament. The Blazers and Eagles will square off in round one of the tournament on Friday, May 4 at 11:00 a.m. at Harvey Woods Field in Nashua, N.H.

In the top of the first Daniel Webster used back-to-back triples by Kyle Brigham (Hudson, N.H.) and LeLievre to plate the Eagles first run, before Elms answered in the bottom of the frame when senior catcher Rey Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) singled in Fisher to tie the game at 1-1.

The Eagles went ahead with a run in the top of the second when Erick Bordeau (Alton Bay, N.H.) cracked a one-out double and then scored on an RBI three-bagger off the bat of Josh Chasse (Haverhill, Mass.) to give Daniel Webster a 2-1 lead.

Both Russell and LeLievre worked the zone through the next six and a half innings as the sides battled into the ninth inning with the score still set at 2-1 in favor of the Eagles.

Daniel Webster then scored four runs on four hits and a pair of Blazers' miscues as Brigham and Tyler Bonin (Litchfield, N.H.) highlighted the frame with run scoring base hits to lift the advantage to 6-1.

LeLievre continued to deal on the hill, retiring Elms in order in the last of the ninth frame. LeLievre (4-3) tossed four strikeouts and scattered just five hits in the complete-game effort. He also helped himself at the plate with a triple, two singles and an RBI, while Brigham and Bonin each drove in a run and added two hits.

Ryan Dupont (Merrimack, N.H.) added a two-hit day for the Eagles, while Brigham was the only Daniel Webster base runner to score twice.

Russell suffered the loss for Elms and moves to 1-3 on the season. He was brilliant through eight innings, striking out seven batters and scattering seven hits while allowing just two runs until the Eagles rallied in the ninth.

Fisher was the lone Elms batter to record two hits, while Rivera, senior left fielder Donny Morse (Alfred, Maine) and freshman right fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) added one each.