Box Score
Keene, N.H. – April 29, 2014 - The Springfield College baseball team earned a 4-3 win over host Keene State on Tuesday, rebounding from a loss to MIT on Monday in the conference semifinals.
The Pride scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth, as Adam Zandri (Ridgefield, Conn.) delivered a one-out double and Jared Hopkins (Cranston, R.I.) drove him in on a ground ball to third base. In the bottom half of the inning, relief pitcher Mitch Goldman (Uxbridge, Mass.) shut down the Owls to earn the win (1-1). Starting pitcher Alex Williams (East Hartford, Conn.) was lights out on the mound, throwing seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits. He took the no decision however, as Keene State scored three times in the eighth inning.
Springfield improves to 20-13 with the win, just the third 20 win season for the Pride since the 2005 season.
The game was scoreless until the sixth inning, when Hopkins led off with a single down the rightfield line and moved to second on Billy Peterson's (Wareham, Mass.) groundout. Â After Haddad got Shane O'Leary (Kings Park, N.Y.) to fly out to center, Frank Calabrese (East Longmeadow, Mass.) hit his first home run of the year over the fence in left center to put Springfield up 2-0.
Sean Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and Brent Poulin (Atascadero, Calif.) singled to continue the inning, and Steve Starr (Lebanon, Conn.) made it 3-0 with a single to left.
Keene Stated tied it in the bottom of the eighth. Â Joe Libby and Matt Boulay led off with consecutive singles, and Cody Dube got KSC on the board with a double to left field. Trevor Chapin evened the score with a 2-RBI single to center that brought in Boulay and Dube.
Springfield took the lead back in the next inning when Zandri doubled, moving to third on a wild pitch. Â Hopkins grounded out to Chapin at third base, bringing Zandri across.
Tanner Chase led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk, and moved into scoring position on Nick Reed's sacrifice bunt, but was stranded when Libby flew out to left and Boulay struck out to end the game.
Joe Libby and Tanner Chase each had two hits for KSC. Starr and Smith did the same for Springfield.
The Pride will head to Nichols on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. start.
