By Zack Downing, Staff Writer
The Corsairs were on a three game win streak when they visited the dominant Westfield State men’s baseball team, one of the best Division III teams in New England.
The Westfield State Owls took the lead in the second inning, with two runs off back-to-back doubles.
However, by the fourth inning, the Corsairs had tied the game up with an RBI by Kenny Michael.
The Owls responded by driving home 5 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, and the tie disappeared.
UMass Dartmouth scored again in the next inning, but the rest of the game was nearly silent from the offenses of both teams. The final score was 7-4, Westfield State.
The Corsairs returned home for their next game against Western New England, and immediately the momentum turned the way of the home team. UMass Dartmouth scored 5 runs in the first inning, highlighted by a Nate Tellier home run.
The hits just kept on coming, as the third inning saw four more runs by UMass Dartmouth, thanks to a home run by Mitch Baker.
The WNE Golden Bears didn’t go down quietly, scoring 5 runs in the next two innings.
The Corsair offense never slowed, and by the end of the game the scoreboard read 15-9, Corsairs.
Mitch Baker, Taylor Cacciola, Ezequiel Sanchez, and Nate Tellier all hit homers during the game, Tellier with a pair of them. It was the first time the Corsairs had a 5 home run game in 8 years.
Baker led the team with 9 RBIs, and the total hit count for UMass Dartmouth was 19. Everyone on the lineup registered at least one hit.
The next pair of games was a doubleheader at UMass Dartmouth facing Plymouth State, and this time the defense stepped up for the Corsairs. The game was 0-0 until the third and fourth inning, when UMass scored 2 to take the lead, off two RBIs sent up the middle.
Meanwhile, Sean Callahan pitched a shutout 8 innings for the home team with 7 strikeouts, only allowing four hits.
The rest of the work was done by the defense, with catches and double plays stifling their offense. The Panthers failed to score in the ninth inning as well, and the final score was 3-0, Corsairs.
The next game against Plymouth State was faster paced, but still featured strong pitching by UMass.
Immediately, the Corsairs scored 6 runs in the first inning, thanks to five hits and a walk all rounding the bases and reaching home.
Nate Tellier capped the inning off with a double RBI to make the score 6-0.
The Panthers put up a point right away, but they were still trailing by a significant amount.
The rest of the game was controlled by the defense, as well as Dylan Collett who only tossed 3 Plymouth State hits in 6 innings.
The Panthers scored again in the eighth inning, but the lead gained right off the bat was insurmountable. The final score was 9-2, Corsairs.
With that, UMass Dartmouth has picked up momentum by winning 6 of their last 7 games, with their only loss coming against one of their strongest opponents.
The next home game for the Corsairs is a doubleheader against Western Connecticut, starting at noon on Saturday the 22.