Golden Bears Unable to Overcome Early Deficit in 15-9 Loss at UMass Dartmouth

LaCroix records triple, home run and three RBI for Western New England

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (April 13, 2017) – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth baseball team scored ten runs over the first three innings on its way to a 15-9 win over Western New England University on Thursday afternoon in non-conference action.

Top Performers
• Sophomore outfielder Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.) had another big day at the plate for the Golden Bears, going 3-for-5 with a triple, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored.
• Junior infielder Jared Rosenblatt (Avon, Conn.) went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored, while sophomore catcher Brian Valeriano (Stratford, Conn.) added two hits and one RBI.

• Freshman infielder Nate Tellier (Attleboro, Mass.) led UMass Dartmouth's 19-hit attack with a 4-for-5 effort out of the leadoff spot. Tellier homered twice and tripled while driving in three runs for the Corsairs.
• Senior infielder Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I.) went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, while senior outfielder Ezequiel Sanchez (Mantai, P.R.) and freshman catcher Mitch Baker (Braintree, Mass.) also homered and drove in a combined five runs.

Game Review
• Tellier set the tone for the Corsairs with a leadoff home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning, and UMass Dartmouth would go on to score four more runs in the frame on RBI singles by Cacciola and junior Kenny Michael (Norwood, Mass.), and a two-run shot off the bat of Sanchez.
• Western New England got one run back in the top of the second on an RBI single to right center field by Rosenblatt, but UMass Dartmouth restored its five-run lead in the bottom half of the inning when freshman Mike Knell (Dennis, Mass.) recorded an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
• The Corsairs added four more runs in the third to open up a 10-1 lead. After an RBI single by junior Mac Curran (Lakeville, Mass.), Baker hit a two-run homer to left field and Tellier recorded an RBI triple down the right field line.
• The Golden Bears began to cut into their deficit in the fourth, scoring three runs on two hits. Sophomore outfielder Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) led off with a walk, before coming in to score on an RBI single Rosenblatt. A wild pitch allowed sophomore Aaron Rios (Stratford, Conn.) to score, and Valeriano plated Western New England's fourth run with a sacrifice fly.
• The Golden Bears used consecutive triples by sophomore Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.) and LaCroix in the top of the fifth to pull to within five (10-5), while a run-scoring error on the next play trimmed the deficit to four.
• Western New England would get no closer, however, as Tellier and Cacciola both homered in the bottom of the sixth to make it 13-6. UMass Dartmouth added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings before the Golden Bears plated three runs in the ninth, including two on LaCroix's fifth home run of the season.

Notes
• LaCroix, the CCC Player of the Week, leads the conference with 26 RBI this season, while Rosenblatt ranks fourth (21).
• Rios has recorded at least one hit in five of his last six games.

Up Next
Western New England (15-9) returns home to host RPI for a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, while UMass Dartmouth (14-11) will take on Plymouth State in LEC action.