Springfield, Mass. – March 25, 2025 – The Springfield College baseball team fell to No. 6/7 ranked Salve Regina University, 8-6, in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener for both squads on Tuesday afternoon at Archie Allen Field.

Salve Regina improved to 12-3 overall and 1-0 in NEWMAC play, while Springfield fell to 3-12, 0-1. Springfield is slated to host Saint Joseph's College of Maine tomorrow in non-conference action beginning at 3:30 pm.

The 7-8 hitters in Springfield's lineup in Chris Balchius (Norwalk, Conn.) and Luke DiMauro (Haddam, Conn.) combined to go 5-for-8 at the plate with two runs and two RBI. At the top of the lineup, Michael Lepere (Beacon, N.Y.) and Nicholas Lloyd (Easthampton, Mass.) both tallied hits and solo RBI, while five hitter Jack Dunaisky (Longmeadow, Mass.) accounted for Springfield's other RBI on the day. Salve Regina produced 14 hits with five student-athletes connecting for two knocks apiece.

After a 1-2-3 top of the first frame for starter Nate Kelleher-Mochak (Florence, Mass.), Springfield's bat put a three spot on the board in the bottom of the opening inning. Lloyd knocked a single to right and scored on an RBI single from Dunaisky before Andrew Sweet (Charlton, Mass.) and Dunaisky came across to score making it 3-0.

Springfield then went ahead 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth as DiMauro plated Adam Crocker (Windsor, Nova Scotia) on an RBI double down the left field line. 

Salve Regina, however, chipped away at its deficit and produced one run in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth as the Seahawks trailed 5-4 through five and a half innings. Lepere gave Springfield a little breathing room in the bottom of the sixth as he brought home Balchius to make it 6-4 before Salve Regina exploded for four runs in the seventh.

The visitors began the seventh with back to back singles before a two run knock from Matthew Neal knotted the score at six. After a Springfield error, Christian Homa plated Neal on a double that was roped to the gap before Homa scored on a single to left center to make it 8-6.

Salve Regina's bullpen shut the Springfield bats down over the final six frames. Nick Callano pitched the final three innings, struck out three and faced the minimum to earn the save. James Tobin earned the win in relief going three innings, scattering three hits and allowing just one run.

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