Baseball Earns Split with Knox

FORT MYERS, Fla. (3/20/15) - The Lasell College baseball team went 1-1 in a non-conference doubleheader versus Knox College on Friday afternoon at the Player Development Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. In game one, the Lasers defeated the Prairie Fire, 12-6, but then dropped a 5-2 decision to Knox in the second game of the afternoon. Lasell is now 3-6 this spring, while Knox moved to 2-5 on the year.

Lasell 12, Knox 6

In game one, Lasell's offense put together a season-high 12 runs which included at least one run that crossed the plate in every inning except for the third. Junior Wes Hurty (Windsor, Conn.) went 2-for-4, scored a run, drove in a season-high three RBI's, while senior Kevin Post (Cromwell, Conn.) and freshman Jesse Tejero (West Haven, Conn.) each brought home a pair of runs this afternoon. 

Lasers' senior pitcher Greg Sherman (Marshfield, Mass.) threw the first five innings, allowing five runs (one earned), seven hits, three walks alongside five strikeouts. Classmate Vinny Romano (Yonkers, N.Y.) registered his second save of the year as he faced seven batters out of the pen over the final two innings. Romano allowed one run, one hit, and struck out a pair of batters. 

Knox began the scoring in the top of the first inning as sophomores Drake Sykes (Galesburg, Ill.) and Matt McCaffrey (Wilmette, Ill.) lined RBI singles to left field which gave the Prairie Fire a 2-0 advantage. Lasell answered and took the lead in their first at-bats with a five spot in the bottom of the first. Junior Skylar Beckerman (Pensacola, Fla.), sophomore Brandon Valentin (Meriden, Conn.), senior Evan Mozingo (Brookfield, Conn.) and Tejero all roped RBI singles that accounted for the Lasers' five runs. 

Hurty added two more runs and extended Lasell's advantage to 7-2 in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single that plated Beckerman and senior Matt Sammarco (New Canaan, Conn.). In the top of the third, Sykes reached on a fielding error by Lasell which brought home Paul Sanders (Rock Island, Ill.) and cut the deficit to four runs, 7-3. Knox added to its run total with back-to-back RBI singles later in the same inning. McCaffrey lined the ball to left field and sophomore Alex Bell (Elgin, Ill.) drove a liner to the right side that made the score 7-5.  

Lasell put a combined five more runs on the scoreboard over the final three innings - one in the fourth, and two in the fifth and sixth - that put the game out of reach at 12-5. Knox attempted to rally, as the Prairie Fire scored one run in their final at-bat's, but it wasn't enough as Lasell took game one, 12-6.

Knox 5, Lasell 2

In the second game, Prairie Fire junior pitcher Marty Salazar (Normal, Ill.) came on in relief over the final four 1/3 innings to earn his first win of the season (1-0). Salazar allowed three hits, one run and a single walk over his time on the hill. Sykes led the offensive attack, in a bounce back second game, with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate to go along with two RBI's. Lasell junior Frank Zammarelli (Burrillville, R.I.) threw to a no decision in his first start of the season as he allowed three earned runs, four hits, three walks and struck out three batters over the first four 1/3 innings for the Lasers.

Hurty added to his RBI total for the Lasers, at four on the day, with a single to right field that plated the Lasers first run of the game in the top of the first. An RBI single through the left side evened the game at 1-1 through one full inning. The game would remain scoreless until the top of the fourth as Lasell junior infielder Tyler Flaherty (Portland, Maine) doubled to lead of the inning. In the next at-bat, Flaherty came around to score on an RBI single from Tejero.

Knox took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs that made the score 4-2. With the bases loaded, McCaffrey walked home Knox's second run, Bell singled through the right side that plated Sykes and sophomore Derek Beaupre (Pekin, Ill.) reached on fielder's choice that brought home classmate Ryan Weitendorf (New Lenox, Ill.). The Prairie Fire added the all important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single to right field from Sykes. The Lasers had a runner on third base with two outs but came up short as Salazar closed the game with a fly-out that gave Knox the split this afternoon.

Lasell plays its final game in Florida tomorrow morning against Wisconsin-Stout at Terry Park with first pitch slated for 9:00 a.m. The Lasers will head home after the game and is scheduled to play Newbury College on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m. in non-conference action at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.​