University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Siena
UMass Baseball Rallies Past Siena, 6-5
April 07, 2015 | Baseball
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - The UMass baseball team battled back from a 5-1 deficit by plating five runs on four hits in the top of the eighth, rallying for a 6-5 win at Siena on Tuesday afternoon. With the victory, the Minutemen improve to 6-10 on the season, while the Saints fall to 6-16.
Redshirt senior Kyle Adie led off the game with a triple, which quickly resulted in the first run of the day as junior Vinny Scifo sent him home with a sacrifice fly to center.
Siena promptly tied the score at 1-1, though. In the bottom half of the first, Dan Swain reached on an error, was sacrificed over to second, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Esquerra.
In the bottom of the fifth, Fred Smart drove a one-out single back up the middle for the Saints' first hit of the day, stole second and came home on an RBI single through the right side by Tyler Martis.
Then in the sixth, a pair of home runs expanded Siena's lead to 5-1, the first by Esquerra with Phil Madonna on via a leadoff walk. Brett Connors provided the second for the Saints in the frame with a solo shot to left.
After registering just three hits through the first seven innings, the UMass bats came alive in the top of the eighth. Sophomore Jon Avallone started things off with a single to right, while Adie reached on a two-base error that gave the Minutemen a pair of runners in scoring position.
With one out, redshirt senior Rob McLam bounced a single back up the middle to drive in Avallone before Adie scored on a wild pitch. Redshirt senior Adam Picard then plated McLam with a two-out single to right to close the gap to 5-4. Sophomore Matt Bare drew a walk to extend the inning and was lifted for a pinch runner in senior Paul Yanakopulos. Picard moved up to third on a wild pitch and Yanakopulos stole second before junior Brandon Walsh dropped a two-run double into left to give UMass a 6-5 lead.
In his 2015 debut on the mound, sophomore Mike Geannelis worked around a leadoff double by Esquerra in the eighth, the lone hit he allowed over two innings of work with no walks and four strikeouts en route to his first career save.
Freshman Kevin Hassett let up one hit in one inning out of the bullpen and logged the win (1-1), while Siena's Ryan Bellomo took the loss (0-1) after he surrendered one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts in one inning of relief.
McLam and Picard both went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the UMass bats, while Esquerra finished with two of the Saints' six hits in the contest and totaled three RBI.
The Minutemen will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, April 8, playing host to Harvard in a Beanpot first round matchup at 3:30 p.m. on Earl Lorden Field.
