Blazers, Hawks Split Doubleheader for Second Consecutive Day

Holyoke, MA – Just like on Sunday, the Elms College Blazers and Becker College Hawks split a doubleheader in New England Collegiate Conference play.

GAME ONE: Becker 12 – Elms 11

A high-scoring game one between the Blazers and Hawks saw scoring in almost every inning as the Hawks held on for the one-run victory.

The bottom of the sixth became an important inning for the Hawks in the 12-11 victory, an inning that gave them the breathing room to hold on for the win.

Elms came to bat in the top of the seventh and nearly completed the comeback before taking the one-run loss.

The Blazers had runners on the corners and two outs in the seventh when an RBI single by junior Tyler Galenski (Wilbraham, MA) and an RBI double by senior Nathan Ayala (Springfield, MA) cut the deficit to 12-10. Galeski later scored on a passed ball to get within one, but freshman Justin Miller (Prospect, CT) flew out to center field to end the game.

The Hawks scored four times in the first inning. Becker also scored four times in the bottom of the fourth

For Elms, Ayala, and freshmen AJ Cook (Mendon, MA), and Seamus Higgins (Rutland, MA) all finished 3-for-5. Ayala had three RBI while Cook had four runs scored.

Winning Pitcher: Joey Rego (1-1)

Losing Pitcher: Dominick Whalen (0-3)

Save: Zayvier Hartman (1)

GAME TWO: Elms 11 – Becker 8

In the second game of the evening, the Blazers exploded for eight runs in the top of the fourth to help them to the 11-8 victory.

Tied 3-3 entering the top of the fourth, Ayala got the scoring going with a two-run double that gave the Blazers a 5-3 edge. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, an RBI single by junior Austin Roy (Cromwell, CT) and a hit batter improved the lead to 7-3.

Cook stepped in and delivered in the fourth with a two-run double, giving the Blazers a 9-3 lead. The eight-run inning came to an end on back-to-back RBI singles by Higgins and Galenski, helping Elms to an 11-3 edge.

Becker fought back with four runs in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of some Blazers miscues to cut the deficit to 11-7.

The game would remain 11-7 until the bottom of the seventh, where another Blazers error would cost them a run, as Becker now trailed 11-8. But with the bases loaded, the Blazers managed to get the final out on a fly ball to center field, splitting Monday's doubleheader in NECC play.

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For Elms, Ayala was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Cook finished 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI and three runs scored.

Winning Pitcher: Josh Guilmartin (2-1)

Losing Pitcher: Payton Musco (0-1)

The Blazers are back in action on Saturday, 4/24 with a doubleheader at Eastern Nazarene College. First pitch is scheduled for 1PM.