AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 3-3 before adding the winning run in the eighth as the Trailblazers secured the doubleheader sweep of the Lynx today at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fla. MCLA's 4-3 extra-inning win came after topping Lesley 10-1 in the first game of the afternoon.
The Lynx will look to get back in the win column tomorrow as they will play two with Utica College at Henley Field in Lakeland, Fla. First pitch of game one is slated for 10:00a.
Game One: Lesley 1, MCLA 10
The Lynx outhit the Trailblazers 12-11 but could only muster one run as they left nine runners on base.
After adding a single run in both the first and second innings, MCLA gave themselves some breathing room with a seven run third inning due in part to a grand slam by Tyler Benoit. Alon Willing added an RBI single later in the inning before Mike Sullivan capped the rally with a two-run single as MCLA opened up a 9-1 edge.
The Lynx scratched across their only run of the game in the top of the sixth inning as senior Ray Cohen (Coventry, Conn.) came around on a single by freshman Justin Clark (Chino Hills, Calif.).
Senior Robert Parson (Commack, N.Y.) led the Lynx offense, going a perfect 4-of-4 in the leadoff spot while juniors Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.) and Gustavo Polidor (Caracas, Venezuela) and Clark all finished with two hits.
Freshman Bryan Hildebrand (Milford, Mass.) made his collegiate pitching debut hurling one hitless inning of relief while striking out two.
Game Two: MCLA 4, Lesley 3 (Final – 8 Innings)
Lesley got on the board first as the Lynx pushed two across in the bottom of the second inning. Sophomore Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass.) and Cohen led off the inning with consecutive singles before a Polidor sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position. Clark followed Polidor with a single that scored Slaby before Cohen crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Parson.
The Lynx would add another run in the third following another Cohen single that saw senior Joe Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) come in following an error in the Trailblazer infield.
MCLA would cut into the Lesley lead with a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Benoit that scored Chase Preite.
The score would remain the same until the Trailblazers put together a game-tying rally in the top of the seventh. Miles Candelet reached on an error to lead off the inning and moved to third on a single by Nate Gutman. The Trailblazers would cut the Lynx lead to one on a double by Preite before knotting the game at three following an RBI single by Rory Slattery.
Gutman found himself in the middle of things in the top of the eighth as he got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to knock in what proved to be the game winning run.
Lesley freshman Nick Iadevaio (Mineola, N.Y.) was excellent in his first career start on the hill, throwing 6.1 innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out five.