Bobcats Prevail in Non-Conference Clash with Lasers

WALTHAM, MA-  A non-conference showdown between Bates College and the hosting Lasell College Lasers resulted in the Bobcats dominating, 16-2, through eight innings of regional baseball action, on a cold Monday night at Brandeis University. 

Junior hurler Ryan Heide (Medfield, MA) secured the win on the mound, working through six innings, remitting five hits and two earned runs while striking out five batters.   Demitrios Gatzogiannis (Wells, ME) relieved Heide in the seventh, striking out three of four batters faced in one inning for Bates. 

Five Bobcats had a multi-hit game, including Rich Velotta (Fairfield, CT) who went 3-for-4, knocking three doubles, with two runs and two RBI.  Pat Murphy (Cape Elizabeth, ME) posted two hits in four times at the plate, adding two runs and two RBI, along with three stolen bases. 

A handful of Lasers contributed to Lasell’s offense with at least one hit, led by Conor Cavanagh (Quincy, MA) and Junior Veiga (Randolph, MA).  Cavanaugh went 2-for-3 with one double and Veiga provided a hit and a run when he smacked a homer over the left field fence in the third inning.

Lasell welcomed a 1-0 lead when Josh Sullivan (Rockland, MA) tripled to start the bottom of the second inning with a shot into right field.  Carlton Lentini (Wilmington, MA) brought Sullivan home on a sac fly down the right field line.

Bates rolled to an 8-1 advantage in the top of the third inning scoring eight runs on six hits. The Bobcats started the rally by making the score a uniform one-all after Murphy came home on a two-bagger by Noah Lynd (Meriden, NH).  Lynd then scored, unearned, on a passed ball, giving the Bobcats their first lead of the game.   The visitors cushioned their advantage when Josh Linscott (Portland, ME) pushed three runs across home plate with a double into left center field. Rich Velotta (Fairfield, CT) knocked a subsequent double to score Linscott, followed by a sharply hit single by Murphy to send Velotta around the remaining bags for a 7-1 Bates edge.

Murphy advanced to scoring position by stealing both second and third and then scored the final mark of the half inning when Tom Beaton (West Newbury, MA) slid one through the left side.

Veiga launched his first home run of the season in the bottom of the third frame to bring the score to 8-2. 

Bates added to their edge with three runs in the fourth. Jake Simon (Waterford, CT) walked and Lynd doubled before arriving home on a single by Noah Burke (Appleton, ME) which dropped into shallow center field.  Linscott contributed with a sacrifice fly to score Burke for an 11-2 advantage.

Burke turned a double into a run in the fifth and then the Bobcats added four more runs in the sixth for a commanding 15-2 lead. Pinch hitter Kevin McGregor (Randolph, NJ) came in to slice a single into center field, scoring Beaton in the process, as the Bobcats scoring reached its pinnacle.

Lasell finishes the contest with a 4-20 overall record, while Bates boosts their overall slate to 13-7. 

The Lasers will face off in their final Great Northeast Athletic Conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 20th, at 5:30 p.m. at Rivier College.