No. 20 Augustana Takes Down Baseball 11-4

FORT MYERS, Fla. (3/19/17) -- The Lasell College baseball team hung tough through the middle innings in Sunday's finale at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, but ultimately suffered an 11-4 defeat to the No. 20 Vikings of Augustana College (Ill.) at the Lee County Player Development Complex.

The Lasers fall to 3-7 on the season, while the Vikings extend their winning streak to eight games and improve to 12-1.

Senior left fielder Brandon Valentin (Meriden, Conn.) hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning to tie the game at 4-4, but Augustana scored the game's last seven runs, including five in the eighth. Valentin finished the day 2-for-5 with two runs scored and the three RBI, while shortstop Hector Coscione (Newton, Mass.) and junior first baseman Dom Mascolo (Waterbury, Conn.) posted a pair of hits apiece.

Lasell took a 1-0 lead in the first as Mascolo scored Valentin, who reached on an error, with a one-out single. However, Augie responded with single runs in the second and fourth and two runs in the third against sophomore starter Daniel Petr (East Haven, Conn.), who struck out one and allowed just three earned in seven innings.

The Lasers jumped back into the game with three runs on four hits in the fifth, but all three scored on Valentin's second home run in as many days. Sophomore center fielder Evan Michalek (Berlin, Conn.) and Coscione hit back-to-back singles with one out, and Valentin cleared the fences after Coscione stole second base.

Connor Berek (Brookfield, Ill.) earned the win for the Vikings as he fanned six and allowed three earned runs on six hits.

The Lasers open their home schedule at Brandeis University's Stein Diamond on Saturday, March 25, hosting Colby-Sawyer for a doubleheader at noon. The Vikings also head north for the first time this season to face Cornell on Wednesday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m.