University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Vermont
Eilenberg Pitches UMass Past Vermont, 4-2
May 02, 2007 | Baseball
May 2, 2007
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AMHERST- Strong pitching and timely hitting pushed a streaking UMass (17-18, 9-9) squad past the Vermont Catamounts (18-19), 4-2. The win over Vermont brought the Maroon and White's winning streak to five, while snapping the Catamounts' four-game win streak. The victory was UMass' first over their northern neighbor since 2003. The UMass offense pounced on a Vermont error in the fourth inning, scoring all four of their runs after the miscue. Three UMass pitchers combined for the victory with sophomore Mitchell Eilenberg (Brooklyn, N.Y.) picking up the win to improve to 2-0. Sophomore Mike Dicato (Winthrop, Mass.) came on in the ninth for the save, his first of the year.
Sophomore Mitchell Eilenberg started for the Minutemen, going six innings and allowing only one run. He became the fifth consecutive UMass starter to earn a win. The win was the Brooklyn native's second in the team's last seven games.
Eilenberg ran into trouble in the top of the third but managed to escaped unharmed. After two batters reached base via walks, Vermont loaded the bases with one out on an infield single to Ryan Franczek (Chicopee, Mass.). Eilenberg then induced another chopper to Franczek who threw the Catamount runner at home for the second out. On the next batter, the UMass hurler baited Bryce Shattie into swinging at a pitch below his knees to end the inning with no damage done.
Despite have some problems with control, Eilenbeg thrived in pressure situations, as Vermont stranded 11 runners in the game. The Minuteman starter allowed runners into scoring position in five of the six innings he pitched but yielded only one run, in the sxith inning.
UMass finally broke the 0-0 tie in their share of the fourth inning. Sophomore Adam Tempesta (Brockton, Mass.) reached when the Vermont shortstop booted a grounder. After Tempesta advanced to second on a passed ball, Franczek took a Jeremiah Bayer offering the other way to drive in the runner. UMass refuse to let Vermont off the hook, as they four more unearned runs when Bill Rankin (Wilington, Conn.) hit an RBI double and Mike Donato (East Hartford, Conn.) followed with a two RBI single, to extend the lead to four.
Vermont fought back with a runs in the sixth and seventh. With the score 4-1, Beau Hodges (Manchester, N.H.) allowed a two-out RBI double which brought the Catamounts within two. Hodges then proceeded to retire four of the next five batters he faced without allowing another run.
Sophomore Mike Dicato (Winthrop, Mass.) came on in the ninth to pitch a scoreless inning for his first save of the season and the second of his career.
UMass' longest home stand of the season will continue at 3 p.m. on Friday when the Minutemen open a three game series against the second-place Richmond Spiders. The Minutemen are currently a half-game out of the final playoff spot. Fans who cannot make the action can follow each contest with Gametracker and live audio on UMassAthletics.com
