Starting pitching, effective relief and timely hitting has carried the Massachusetts baseball team this spring.
However, none of those three factors were in the cards for UMass (11-13, 6-3 Atlantic 10) against Central Connecticut State, as the Minutemen dropped a non-conference game, 11-2, on the road Tuesday night.
Freshman starter Ryan Lubreski lasted only 3.2 innings for UMass, surrendering five runs (three earned) off six hits, while punching out two and walking three in the loss.
The Minutemen have dropped three of their last four contests, falling to 5-10 against non-conference opponents this spring.
UMass got on the board right out of the gate. After junior Anthony Serino walked and moved to second on a double-steal attempt, senior Tom Conley lined an RBI-single to right to give the Minutemen an early 1-0 lead.
The tide quickly turned, however, as the Blue Devils stormed right back in the bottom-half of the first.
With two outs, J.P. Sportman tripled to center and Dylan DelaCruz followed up with a walk to put men on the corners. Anthony Turgeon then laced a single to center to tie the game at 1-1. CCSU tacked on two more runs to make the score 3-1 after UMass committed an error with the bases loaded to extend the inning.
The Minutemen cut the lead to one in the third inning when sophomore Ryan Cusick led off with a walk and stole second. He then advanced to third on an error and scored on an RBI ground out by Serino.
The Blue Devils would regain a two-run lead in the following inning. With one out, Jake Matuszak singled to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He then moved to third on a ground ball and came around to score after Sportman’s single up the middle increased their lead to 4-2.
CCSU blew the doors right open with a six-run outburst in the fifth. After the Blue Devils began the inning by loading the bases, Danny Hicky’s two-run single lifted CCSU’s advantage to 6-2. Sportman, Matuszak and Josh Ingham (two RBIs) all drove runs home in the fifth.
Sophomore Adam Picard [2-for-3, run] was the only player to record a multi-hit game for UMass. Conley [1-for-3, RBI] and sophomore Kyle Adie [1-for-4] were the only other Minutemen to record hits.
Freshmen Tim Stoops secured only one out on the mound for UMass. Sophomore Aaron Plunkett tossed 2.2 innings in relieve, allowing three runs [two earned] off four hits while fanning two and walking none.
Minutemen take on Crimson for Beanpot
Last season, the Minutemen pitched their way to a 1-0 loss against Harvard in the Beanpot semifinal.
This year, the two are at it again; this time with the title on the line, as UMass plays host to the Crimson (8-25, 4-8 Ivy League) Wednesday night at Lelacheur Park in Lowell. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. Harvard comes in losing six of its last nine games, including a four-game split against Yale last weekend. Three of those contests were decided by just one run.
Jake McGuiggan leads Harvard offensively, hitting .330 (22-for-88) which ranks first on the team as well as 10th in the conference.
The team’s 4.89 ERA is an improvement from earlier this season, with the staff striking out 216 batters for third-most in the Ivy League.
Senior righthander Brent Suter leads Harvard in innings (41.1) and strikeouts (36) this spring, holding down a substantial 3.92 ERA.
The Minutemen are 16-26 all-time against the Crimson, despite UMass’ 7-4 record against them in the Beanpot.
Scott Cournoyer can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Cournoyer.
