No. 7/8 Babson Builds Early Lead En Route to 16-4 Win over Western New England

Nussbaum & Webber homer for Golden Bears

BABSON PARK, Mass. (April 29, 2019) – The No. 7/8 ranked Babson College baseball team scored nine runs over the first two innings en route to a 16-4 non-conference win over Western New England University on Monday afternoon at Govoni Field.

Top Performers
Senior Alex Loparco (Riverside, Conn.) and juniors Zac Nussbaum (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Kevin Johnson (Waterford, Conn.) recorded two hits each for the Golden Bears, while Nussbaum and sophomore Joe Webber (Marshfield, Mass.) homered.

Babson was led by senior Edward Lehr (Byram Township, N.J.), who went 4-for-4 at the plate with a home run and four RBI. Senior Nicholas Browne (Mount Laurel, N.J.) posted a 2-for-4 effort with a double and four RBI, while juniors Alex DiMartino (Mahwah, N.J.), Jake Oliger (Newtown, Conn.) and Matthew Valente (Wyckoff, N.J.) drove in two runs each.

Sophomore pitcher Jordy Allard (Woodstock, Vt.) picked up the win for the Beavers (6-0) after striking out seven batters and allowing one earned run over five innings.

Game Review
Babson jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Oliger and Lehr both recorded RBI singles, before Browne came up with two outs and plated two more runs with a single through the left side of the infield.

The Beavers scored five runs in the second inning, all with two outs, to extend their lead to 9-0. Oliger again got it started with an RBI double, while Lehr, Valente and Browne all added RBI hits, before Brown came in to score on a wild pitch.

After falling behind 11-0, the Golden Bears broke through with two runs in the top of the fifth. Nussbaum led off with a single, and Johnson singled two batters later, advancing Nussbaum to third. Senior catcher Brian Valeriano (Stratford, Conn.) came up next and reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Nussbaum to score. Loparco then reached on an infield single, and a Babson error brought in Valeriano for Western New England's second run.

The Golden Bears tallied single runs in the seventh and ninth innings, courtesy of homers from Webber and Nussbaum, respectively.

Notes
• With 12 career home runs, Nussbaum is now tied for fourth in program history.
• Babson's win gives the Beavers a 13-12 edge in 25 games against Western New England.

Up Next
Western New England (22-12) opens the CCC Tournament at home on Friday against an opponent to be determined, while Babson (29-5) hosts Suffolk on Tuesday.