Pompeo Drives Walk Off Single to Lift Lasell Past Minnesota Morris

Fort Myers, FL- First year Andrew Pompeo (Hingham, MA) smacked a walk off RBI single with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Lasell College Baseball team past Minnesota Morris on Thursday morning at Terry Park. 

Pompeo went 2-for-4 in the game with a double and the game-winning single which was scored by Carlton Lentini (Wilmington, MA) after a two bag hit of his own to start the inning.  Conor Cavanagh (Quincy, MA) and Joshua Sullivan (Rockland, MA) had three hits on four at bats each, and added two RBI apiece.

Christopher Pittman (Brockton, MA), Bobby Stachura (Middletown, CT), and Billy Uberti (Newton, MA) added an RBI each.

Brendan Jordan (Rocky Hill, CT) made his first collegiate start today on the mound for Lasell, delivering five strikeouts in three and two thirds innings.  Junior relief pitcher Matt Pitts (Stoneham, MA) stepped in to close the fourth inning and finished the game to earn the Lasers sixth win of the season.  Pitts struck out one, ceded only three hits with no walks, and gave up no runs. 

Five hits in the first, including an RBI single by Conor Cavanagh (Quincy, MA), put Lasell on top as Matt Mahoney (Rockland, MA) scored off Cavanagh's crack into right. 

In the 2nd, Minnesota's two-spot batter, Mike McGill, struck with a triple off the fence in right center, brining Ian Olson around the bags.  McGill then rounded home on a ground out by Nick Perrotte to give the Cougars a one-run advantage.  Jordan closed the inning catching two batters looking at strikes. 

Later in the same inning, Sullivan bombed a homer over the left field fence for two-RBI and produced the lead for Lasell, 3-2. 

The score continued to oscillate as the Cougars came back to tie the score (3-3) in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly by Olson, and then take the lead with a four run fourth inning.   A triple by Dustin Sauter and a home run by Austin Pinke each scored two runners, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead.

A two-run bottom of the fifth put Lasell in striking distance, trailing by just two, 7-5.  Then in the bottom of the sixth the Lasers tied the game by plating two more runs.  

In the fifth, Pittman scored Uberti with a ground out to the shortstop and Cavanagh came home on a Stachura base hit.  A Mahoney two-bagger started the sixth and Mahoney was sent home by Uberti, after which Cavanagh drove in the game-tying run with knock down the line in right field. 

A quick three outs ensued in the seventh for Lasell, including another Pitts strikeout, setting up the Lasers to take the victory in the bottom half of the frame.  

Lasell pulled ahead 2-0 in the first on a two-RBI double by Pittman who sliced one down the right field line, plating Stachura and Uberti. 

Lasell tallied five more runs in the 2nd to extend their advantage to seven. The Lasers used four hits and two Cougar errors to send the five runners around the bases.  

Stachura, Mahoney, Cavanagh, and Pittman were responsible for batting in those runners and Pompeo, Cory Michel (Rochester, NH), Mahoney, and Cavanagh crossed home plate.

The Cougars eventually made their mark in the third inning, touching home three times.  Lasell replied by recording two more in the top of the fourth. A Pittman ground out scored Uberti and a Sullivan sac fly scored Cavanagh.

Another sacrifice fly in the fifth by Stachura added a run for Lasell, scored by Pompeo, after which Michel and Mahoney followed to home plate, knocked in by Uberti and Chris Williams (Hingham, MA) in succession.  With a 12-4 lead, Sullivan was relieved on the mound at the end of five complete innings.

Lasell scored four more runs in the sixth as John Sartucci (Weymouth, MA) stepped in to pinch hit for Sullivan, hitting an RBI single in his first collegiate at-bat, to score Jacob Salkovitz (Brockton, MA).  Lentini smacked a double which set up Pompeo to add two more RBI to his belt for the day. 

Minnesota mounted a comeback in the seventh, notching seven runs in their final ups, but it was not enough to surpass Lasell.  

Uberti went 3-for-4 in the afternoon game with three runs scored and one RBI.  Pompeo also had three hits in the nightcap, with two singles and a double, scoring twice and batting in two runners.  Michel went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs. Seven other Lasers had one hit each in the victory. 

Lasell (7-2) will play their final doubleheader of the Florida Spring trip on Friday, March 18th, facing Fredonia State at 9:00 a.m. and noon on Terry Field.