DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The visiting Western Connecticut State University Wolves opened up 1-0 leads in each game but dropped both ends of its Little East Conference (LEC) opening baseball doubleheader to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs this afternoon. WestConn, lost the first game, 7-1, and the second, 10-2, to fall to 4-8. The Corsairs are now 9-8 overall and 2-0 in the league. The Wolves will entertain Lehman in its home opener on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
In game one, WestConn sophomore OF
Jayson Hannah (Staten Island, N.Y.) led off the top of the first inning with a single, stole second and eventually motored home on a ground ball by senior C Nick Moeller (Mahopac, N.Y.). The Wolves did not score again, however, as UMass Dartmouth junior right-hander Ray Boutlette pitched a complete game. He scattered10 hits and struck out just one but was efficient with 55 pitches.
The Corsairs scored twice in each of the first two innings and Liam Biasi gave the home team a 7-1 lead with a three-run triple in the seventh inning. the Corsairs saw senior left fielder
Liam Blesi clear the bases, tripling to left field for the 7-1 lead. WestConn starter
Max Grewal (Long Beach, N.Y.) struck out nine in six innings but fell to 2-1 with the loss.
WestConn jumped ahead in the second inning of the nightcap on a single by sophomore 2B
Ryan Vallie (East Haven, Conn.) and a sacrifice fly by freshman 3B Bill Unteit (Southington, Conn.). UMass Dartmouth countered in a big way with seven runs in the bottom of the second including four on a grand slam by Devyn Vezina. All seven runs crossed the plate with two outs.
In the top of the fourth, WestConn senior OF
Charles Mulhall (Fairfield, Conn.) cranked a solo homer to left field and closed the gap to 7-2, but the Corsairs scored twice in the fourth and once more in the fifth frame. WestConn managed just one more hit after the fourth inning. Hannah finished 2-for-4 at the plate and classmate
Brian Mansfield (Lynbrook, N.Y.) started on the mound and fell to 1-1.
