University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Northwestern
Baseball Edged By Northwestern, 7-6
February 28, 2009 | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2009
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The UMass baseball team led 6-3 heading into the seventh inning, but could not hold on as Northwestern rallied for four runs to edge the Minutemen, 7-6, on Saturday at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. Following the setback, UMass is now 1-1 on the season, while the Wildcats move to 2-4.
In the bottom of the second, the Minutemen went up 1-0 as three straight two-out singles by senior Jim Macdonald, freshman Tom Conley and sophomore Kyle Multner yielded the first run of the day with Multner picking up an RBI.
A solo home run by Northwestern's Tommy Finn tied the score at one with two gone in the next inning, but UMass answered with two in the bottom half of the frame to pull back in front, 3-1. Redshirt senior Jim Cassidy led off the third with a walk and later crossed the plate on an error. Senior Adam Tempesta, who reached on an error, came in for the team's next run, brought in by a sacrifice fly from junior Mike Donato.
Then in the fifth, the squads traded runs. Finn knocked in Jim Grieco, who led off the top of the inning with a walk, with an RBI single for the Wildcats. Tempesta then led off UMass' turn at-bat with a single and went on to score on a passed ball.
A leadoff homer by Tony Verceilli in the sixth brought Northwestern to within one of the Minutemen at 4-3, and UMass followed up with a pair in the bottom of the inning to extend its advantage to three. Conley started things off for the Minutemen with a single and, with two away, junior Austin Weymouth drove him in with an RBI base knock. Weymouth scored UMass' sixth and final run, coming home on an error.
The Wildcats rallied with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to pull out the comeback. Paul Snieder began the seventh with a pinch-hit home run and Kenneth Avila followed with a double and scored on an error. In the eighth, Chad Noble led off with a single and Grieco drew a one-out walk before Snieder doubled to bring in both runners.
Senior Mitchell Clegg started for the Minutemen and did not earn a decision. He threw five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Junior Bryan Leigh relieved him and took the loss (0-1) after surrendering four runs, two earned, on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 2.2 innings on the mound. Michael Jahns logged the victory (1-0) for the Wildcats. He tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and allowed just one hit with no walks and one strikeout.
Tempesta finished the day 2-for-5 at the plate and scored two runs for UMass. Conley also had a multiple-hit performance in his second collegiate game, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Snieder led Northwestern with a perfect 2-for-2 at the dish, three RBI and one run scored, while Finn batted 2-for-4 with two RBI and scored a run.
The Minutemen will close out their weekend trip to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational with a game against Fairfield tomorrow, Sunday, March 1, at 12:30 p.m.
