Sending baseballs over the wall was a theme at Earl Lorden Field over the weekend, much to the dismay of Atlantic 10 rival,
The
Senior designated hitter Jim Macdonald was a key contributor, hitting a grand slam on Saturday and a two-run home run on Sunday.
‘I was seeing a lot of inside fastballs and I just turned on them,’ Macdonald said on Sunday. ‘Luckily there were guys on base. Yesterday with three runners on and today with one on, that helped out a lot.’
Coming to
The Minutemen launched six home runs in three games, most of which proved to be very important.
Friday’s extra-inning thriller marked the series opener for the two teams, as a devastating tenth inning home run buried the Minutemen. Taking a 7-2 deficit into the bottom of the eighth, UMass refused to go quietly as junior Brian Baudinet led of the inning with the Minutemen’s first home run of the series. A gutsy rally followed, tying the game at seven.
A scoreless ninth brought the game into extra innings, and it didn’t take long for Dan Rhault to show why he is
Saturday’s game was similar, except it was the Minutemen who benefitted from clutch home runs. Losing 5-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, Macdonald added a grand slam of his own, giving the Minutemen a 6-5 lead. Sophomore Kyle Multner and junior Mike Donato also hit home runs en route to a 10-9 victory.
Sunday’s rubber match wasn’t as close as its predecessors, as the Minutemen rolled to a 10-3 victory. UMass got to Rams starter Eric Smith early, as Macdonald hit a two-run home run in the bottom of first.
‘Offensively we came out strong ‘- Jim had the big home run early in the first inning and set the tone for everybody,’ UMass coach Mike Stone said.
After surrendering a run in the second, Multner led off the bottom of the third with a home run to spark the Minutemen’s three-run inning. With two outs, Macdonald doubled, scoring Adam Tempesta from first base. Mike Donato capped off the inning with a single, scoring Macdonald.
The extra cushion was all Jared Freni needed, as he pitched five and a third innings, yielding three runs and four strikeouts. It was a complete performance for UMass, which currently represents the final team slated to play in the A-10 tournament.
‘We did a great job from the start,’ Stone said. ‘Offensively our approach was good against a really good pitcher. A lot of people came to see him pitch and Jared Freni showed them maybe they should have been watching him pitch,’ he said.
With four games remaining before the A-10 tournament, UMass clings to a 1-1/2 game lead over
‘We still got work to do in preparation for the A-10,’ Stone said, ‘but if we continue playing like this, we’re going to be in good shape.’
Steve Levine can be reached at [email protected].