Baseball smashes Emerson in double-header

In 15 games, 2012 baseball team has equaled total number of wins from last season

Since returning from their trip to Florida, the Baseball team has split their record, 3-3.

The team lost their first non-conference game at Clark University on Tuesday, March 20. The team was not down and out and on Wednesday, March 21, the Trailblazers came back by winning their first home game of the season against Norwich University with a score of 4-1.

The team then dropped two games in a row on March 24, getting swept in a double-header by Lassell. The team then recovered by routing the visting Emerson College in a double-header on March 25.

Daniel Gaines was the starting pitcher for the Trailblazers on March 21, giving up seven hits and seven runs in his 3.2 innings on the mound. Freshman Chase Priete relieved him and went three hitless innings. MCLA got three hits for the game. The final score was 9-0.

On Wednesday, March 21 senior Rick Massey pitched seven innings leading the Trailblazers. He was relieved by sophomore Cody Weaver who pitched two innings to close out the game for a win. The game started out with a tie for three and a half innings before either team could score. Preite, now playing infielder, was the first to score for the team in the bottom of the fourth inning. Preite stole second and advanced to third after junior Joe Duncan hit a ground out. Preite was sent home after freshman Rory Slattery hit a sacrifice fly resulting in the first point of the game and putting the Trailblazers in the lead.

In the fifth inning the Trailblazers scored two more runs. Preite hit a single to right center with the bases loaded, scoring two runs and putting the team up by three at the end of the fifth inning. At the bottom of the seventh inning, the Trailblazers scored yet another run putting them up 4-0. Norwich came back in the eighth scoring a run and putting the score to 4-1. Weaver pitched the last two innings, striking out two hitters in the ninth and giving the Trailblazers their first home win.

On Saturday, March 24, the team played a double-header at home and lost two games against Lasell University. The first game ended with a score of 13-7. The second game of the day ended with a final score of 9-0. In the beginning of the first game the teams were tied 1-1. Lasell came forward, taking the lead by scoring two runs in the third and seven runs in the fourth inning. The Trailblazers managed to come back in the seventh inning with six runs but it wasn’t enough to beat Lasell. The Trailblazers managed 11 hits for the effort.

In the second game of the night, the Trailblazers struggled to get a run. Lasell shut the team out with a score of 9-0. Halfway through the first inning Lasell scored three runs on the Trailblazers. In the second inning, Lasell scored two more runs putting the score at 5-0. In the third the Trailblazers loaded the bases and had zero outs but still failed to get a run in. MCLA finished the game with only three hits.

Things began to look up for the team when it traveled to Emerson College for a double-header on Sunday, March 25. Gaines again took the mound for the Trailblazers, this time lasting all seven innings of the game. Gaines gave up nine hits for eight runs, but this time the Trailblazers’ bats were awake and they pummelled the Emerson defense. The team slammed Emerson with 12 hits and accumulated 15 runs for the game. Ross Miner and Weaver led the game in hits with three apiece.

The second game of the double-header was a lower-scoring affair. This time it was Miner on the mound, and he too managed to go the entire seven innings. He gave up only four hits throughout the game for one run.
For their part, MCLA got five runs off of seven hits. Sean Coyle and Derek Lescarbeau tied for the most hits, getting two each.

The first conference games of the season will be a home double-header agaisnt Mass. Maritime on March 31.

by Ariana Tourganeau
Staff Writer

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