Lasers Reach 20 Win Mark in Sweep of Rivier

Written by: Matt Cermola, Athletics Intern

WALTHAM, MA- The Lasell College baseball team upended Rivier College on Senior Day this Friday afternoon with a combination of timely hitting and dominant pitching to win 4-1 in game one and 9-1 in game two.

Rivier took the lead in the top of the second in the first contest off Lasell's starting pitcher Mike Rodriguez (Brockton, MA). With runners on the corners after a leadoff double by Nathan Knoetig (Manchester, NH) followed by a JJ Montello (Nashua, NH) single, Mike Fecteau (Epping, NH) lined a double down the right field line scoring Knoetig to take a 1-0 lead.

The lead would not last long as in the bottom half of the inning Matt Mahoney (Rockland, MA) started a two out rally with a base hit to left off Rivier starter Ford Coats (Raymond, NH). After Bobby Stachura (Middletown, CT) was hit by a pitch, Jacob Salkovitz (Brockton, MA) struck out on a wild pitch in the dirt. Salkovitz would reach and Mahoney would come around to tie the game. With Stachura and Salkovitz on the corners, Salkovitz stole second, while Stachura scored on the throw breaking the tie.

Lasell would not relinquish the lead as Rodriguez went on to allow just two hits over the next four innings. 

In the third the Lasers would tack on two more runs. Carlton Lentini (Wilmington, MA) drilled a single to centerfield to lead off the inning. After Lentini advanced all the way to third on a botched pickoff attempt, Joshua Sullivan (Rockland, MA) doubled to right, knocking in Lentini. Later in the inning Sullivan would score from third on a Chris Pittman (Brockton, MA) ground out to make the score 4-1.

Senior pitcher Rob Sutton (Winthrop, MA) would get the ball in the seventh with a chance to close out the game on Senior Day. He pitched a scoreless inning, picking up the save in his last action at home as a Laser.

Rodriguez picked up the win, going six innings allowing one run on six hits while striking out six.

Coats took the loss, pitching six innings allowing four runs, two of them earned, on seven hits.

Game two was more of the same, except this time Lasell would jump to an early lead and never give it up.

In the bottom of the second, Lasell scored four runs beginning when Andrew Pompeo (Hingham, MA) knocked in Pittman to score the games first run on a single between shortstop and third base. After a Salkovitz base hit and Stachura walk, Lentini doubled to right field scoring Pompeo and Salkovitz, with Stachura advancing to third. Stachura would come in to score on a wild pitch making the score 4-0.

Laser starting pitcher Bill Uberti (Newton, MA) would allow the games only run in the top of the third. After a Kevin Romero (Waterbury, CT) single, Aramis Velez (Lowell, MA) doubled to left field scoring Romero, to become the only run the Raiders would salvage.

Lasell would break this one open in the fourth, when they put on seven consecutive base runners without recording an out. They would score five runs in the inning on RBI hits from Salkovitz, Corey Mitchell (Rockland, MA), and Stachura, lengthening the lead to 9-1. 

Uberti would hold Rivier at just one run through six when he handed the ball to Senior Joe McKernan. McKernan would come in and shut the door on the Raiders pitching a scoreless inning and striking out his final batter he will face at home as a Laser.

Uberti got the win allowing just one run over six innings of work on seven hits and not walking a batter.

Knoetig took the loss for the Raiders allowing eight runs, seven of them earned in just three innings.

Lasell moves to 20-12 on the season and 8-6 in conference play and starts Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) playoff action on Tuesday.  Rivier drops to 3-22 and 2-10 in the GNAC and faces Norwich University on Monday.