HAVERHILL, Mass. – Lesley University and Daniel Webster College split a New England Collegiate Conference doubleheader this afternoon at Trinity Stadium in Haverhill, Mass. Sophomore Justin Clark (Chino Hills, Calif.) smacked a bases loaded, two run double in the bottom the seventh inning as the Lynx walked-off for a 2-1 victory in game one. DWC junior Nick Goodin (Dracut, Mass.) kept the Lesley offense at bay in game two, going the distance to lift the Eagles to a 2-1 victory to earn the split.
The Lynx, winners of two of their last three, move to 8-11 on the season and an even 4-4 in NECC play while the Eagles go to 6-10 overall and 2-6 in the conference. The rubber match of the three-game series originally slated for tomorrow has been postponed. No rescheduled date has been announced.
Game One: DWC 1, Lesley 2
Box Score
Trailing 1-0, Lesley finally put together a rally in the last half of the seventh as freshman Matthew Bavaro (Sayville, N.Y.) reached on a dropped-third strike to lead off the inning before classmate Ryan Pumphret (Shrewsbury, Mass.) laced a single through the left side to put two runners on. The Lynx loaded with the bases with no outs when fellow rookie Jacob Cervantes (Oxnard, Calif.) was hit by a pitch.
The Eagles would cut down a run at the plate on a ground ball to third before Clark struck a two-bagger to centerfield to bring in Bavaro and freshman Leo DiGuilio (Bradley Beach, N.J.) – who was a pinch runner – to walk-off for the win.
Lynx sophomore Tom Muratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) went the distance to improve to 2-2 on the season and is now the all-time leader in the program's six-year history with eight wins. The righty allowed just one run on six hits while striking out four.
Eagles starter Curtis Hamilton (Lowell, Mass.) provided a strong outing for the visitors, suffering the loss in a complete game effort, yielding two runs on just four hits and racking up eight strikeouts.
Game Two: DWC 2, Lesley 1
Box Score
The nightcap featured another pitching duel where Goodin outlasted Lynx sophomore Nick Iadevaio (Mineola, N.Y.) in the 2-1 victory for the Eagles.
Goodin tossed all seven innings, giving up just one run on nine hits and four strikeouts as he improves to 3-2 on the year. Iadevaio nearly matched Goodin's effort, also going all seven innings, allowing eight hits, two runs (one earned), and striking out three.
The Eagles pushed across the game's first run in the top of the second inning as sophomore Mike Pelletier (Pelham, N.H.) and senior Costa Tingas (Lowell, Mass.) both singled before junior Mike Gamache (Manchester, N.H.) reached on an error in the Lynx infield that allowed Pelletier to score on the play.
The Lynx would even the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Clark blooped a double down the left field line that brought freshman Daniel O'Donnell Jr. (Clark ,N.J.) around all the way from first after reaching with a single.
DWC would answer right back in the next half inning with a two-out rally. Freshman Dan Mullins (Nashua, N.H.) laced am opposite-field triple to the corner in right before junior Dakota Williams (Hudson, N.H.) followed with a double to deep left field in what proved to be the game-winning run.
The Lynx would threaten in the sixth with a runner on third with one out, but Goodin forced consecutive ground outs to escape the jam unscathed.
Mullins, Williams, Pelletier, and Tingas each registered two hits to account for all eight Eagles hits.
Bavaro and senior Gustavo Polidor (Caracas, Venezuela) both finished 3-for-3 for the Lynx.