Lasers Fall to Suffolk in GNAC Semifinal

Written by: Matt Cermola

STANDISH, ME- The Lasell College baseball team fell to Suffolk University, 10-6, Saturday afternoon after jumping to a 4–0 lead through two innings and a 6-1 lead after the top half of the third. 

In the first, Lasell rallied for three runs. After loading the bases with two outs, Christopher Pittman (Brockton, MA) cleared them with a double to left center off Ram starter Mitch Monke (Springfield, OH), putting the Lasers up 3-0.

The lead would stretch to 4–0 in the second when Bobby Stachura (Middletown, CT) drilled a two out double to left centerfield. Joshua Sullivan (Rockland, MA) followed that with a double of his own to bring in Stachura. 

After Suffolk got on the board in the third off Lasell starter Billy Uberti (Newton, MA), Lasell responded with two runs in the forth to take a commanding 6-1 lead. 

This is when Suffolk would start chipping away. The bottom of the fourth began with a leadoff double by Andrew Babb (Ashland, MA). Mark Annese (Winchester, MA) followed that with a home run to left field. With two outs, Michael Muse(Milton, MA) singled to centerfield and would advance to third on a Nick Travelyn (Bedford, NH) double to left. A Uberti balk brought in Muse for the third Suffolk run of the inning to shorten the Lasers lead to 6-4.

Suffolk would creep even closer in the fifth when Devan Jones (Roslindale, MA) drilled a leadoff home run over the left field wall off Uberti to shorten the lead to 6-5.

In the seventh, after Uberti was relieved by Eric Howard (Newton, MA), the Rams completed the comeback putting up two runs to take a one run lead. After Jake Cintolo(Wrentham, MA) singled and stole second to lead off the inning, Jones doubled down the left field line to score Cintolo. After advancing to third on a Babb sacrifice bunt, Annese knocked him in on a sac fly to left field to take a 7-6 lead.

With Monke holding the Lasers at six, the Rams broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, the big hit coming off the bat of Jones who brought in two runs with a single down the left field line. They would tack on another off Howard to take a commanding 10-6 lead through eight innings.

Monke finished the game off going all nine innings and picking up the win for the Rams giving up six runs on ten hits.

Howard took the loss giving up five runs, four earned, through 3.1 innings.

The Lasers finish the season at 21-14.

The Rams advance to take on St. Joseph's in the GNAC Championship Sunday.