University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Northeastern
Northeastern Takes Beanpot Opener From UMass, 8-5
April 14, 2010 | Baseball
April 14, 2010
BROCKTON, Mass. - The UMass baseball team jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but a four-run bottom of the first helped carry Northeastern past the Minutemen, 8-5, in the teams' Beanpot Semifinal game on Wednesday night at Campanelli Stadium. UMass (5-18) will face Harvard in the Beanpot consolation game next week, while the Huskies (7-14) move on to the championship for a chance to defend their title against Boston College.
Timely two-out hitting yielded two runs for UMass in the top of the first. Junior Matt Gedman reached on an error with two away, while senior Mike Donato followed up by dropping a single into right center. After the runners moved up on a wild pitch, senior Brian Baudinet ripped a bases-clearing triple to the wall in left center to put the Minutemen on the board.
The lead was brief, however, as Northeastern capitalized on a pair of UMass miscues in the bottom of the inning to climb in front, 4-2. Matt Miller led off with a hard single up the middle and later scored from second on a fielder's choice ground ball. Jon Leroux lofted a double into the right field corner to drive in Frank Compagnone, tying the score at two. Brendan Stokes came in on an error for the go-ahead run and Ryan Maguire plated Leroux with a single up the middle.
In their next turn at bat, the Huskies added a fifth run as David Gustafson drew a four-pitch walk and scored on a double to right by Compagnone. Three innings later in the bottom of the sixth, Stokes pushed the advantage to 6-2, shooting a solo home run out of the park in left.
UMass took one of the runs back in the top of the sixth as Donato legged out a ball hit past the bag at third for a infield single and scored on an error by Maguire at shortstop with two away.
However, in the bottom half of the inning, Alan Pastyrnak flared a leadoff single into shallow center and later crossed the plate a ground ball to first, which extended Northeastern's advantage back out to four, 7-3.
The Minutemen used a pair of two-out walks to trim their deficit to 7-5 in the seventh. Freshman Ryan Cusick reached with a base on balls, moved up to second on a wild pitch, to third on a passed ball and scored on an error. Junior Eric Fredette, who followed Cusick with the squad's second walk of the inning, came home on an RBI single up the middle by Donato.
UMass threatened to make a comeback in the top of the eighth as Alex Fischer doubled to left center with two down, putting the tying runs in scoring position. With Fischer on second and senior Mike Gedman on third, Cusick was called out on a check swing strike three to end the inning.
Northeastern tacked on its eighth and final run in its last turn at bat. Maguire, the leadoff batter, was hit by a pitch and Miller doubled to send him in with one out.
Sophomore Isaac Oakley took the loss (1-2) for the Minutemen as he gave up six runs, two earned, on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five innings on the mound. JT Ross (1-3) logged the win for the Huskies. He worked six innings and allowed three unearned runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Donato went 3-for-5, providing half of UMass' hit total for the evening, driving in a run and scoring two, as well. Baudinet recorded two RBI.
Miller and Maguire both had multi-hit games for Northeastern, batting 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively, each with an RBI and a run scored.
UMass will be back in action this Friday, Apr. 16, when the squad will travel to Rhode Island for a three-game series. Game one is set for a 3 p.m. start.
