University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Saint Louis
Baseball Falls To Saint Louis In 15 Innings, 4-2
May 12, 2007 | Baseball
May 12, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. - Five UMass pitchers combined to allow only four runs in 15 innings, but it wasn't enough as Saint Louis (14-35, 10-12 A-10) edged out the Minutemen (19-23, 11-12 A-10), 4-2, in what was the longest game of the season for both clubs. Brock Hewitt (1-8) pitched the final six innings for the Billikens to pick up the win. Rory McDonald (0-1; East Longmeadow, Mass.) took the loss for UMass. Seniors Bill Rankin (Willington, Conn.) and Bryan Garrity (Peabody, Mass.) led the Minutemen attack, each collecting two hits and scoring a run.
The loss drops UMass to three games behind St. Bonaventure for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Bonnies (12-9 A-10) have played two less conference games. The Minutemen still hold a half-game lead over Saint Louis for seventh place.
UMass scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Travis Munsey's (Durham, NH) bases-loaded sacrifice fly scored Garrity, who had earlier reached on a fielder's choice.
Saint Louis took the lead in the fifth when a B.J. Rodrigue double, which was preceded by a walk and a single, scored two runs.
Jared Freni (Malden, Mass.) and Mitchell Eilenberg (Brooklyn, NY) combined to throw eight innings of two run ball, keeping UMass in the game.
UMass trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Bill Rankin singled and was bunted over by Garrity. Mike Donato came to bat with two outs and singled to left, scoring Rankin and sending the game into extra innings.
Bryan Adamski (South Deerfield, Mass.) came in for the ninth inning and threw five frames of shutout ball. Mike Dicato (Winthrop, Mass.) followed that up with a perfect fourteenth inning.
The Billikens bats came back alive in the fifteenth when J.D. Dunn led the inning off with a single off McDonald. After Ziggy Moore bunted him over to second, Ryan Crespi dealt what proved to be the fatal blow, driving a double to right-center that scored Dunn. Saint Louis went on to add an insurance run on Blake Bratcher's RBI single that plated Crespi.
Hewitt pitched a one-two-three bottom of the fifteenth to ensure the Billiken win.
UMass left 10 runners on base in the game and collected seven hits. Saint Louis left 19 on and had 15 hits.
With one win a side, the series will be decided by Sunday's noon contest. Fans that can't make it out to Earl Lorden Field can listen on WMUA 91.1 FM or follow the action on Gametracker at UMassathletics.com.
