REDLANDS, CA-Six errors proved costly to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth baseball team in their second game of the season.
The Corsairs’ errors resulted in just two unearned runs. But one proved the winner as Redlands came from behind to defeat UMD, 5-4 Saturday at The Yard.
UMass Dartmouth drew first blood in the top of the third inning, as freshman center fielder Sean Smolinsky’s (Hull, MA/Hull HS)one-out single drove home left fielder Rob Lomuscio (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial HS), who led off with a single, to give the Corsairs a 1-0 lead.
Redlands tied the game in the bottom of the third on a throwing error by junior catcher Mike Mclean (Spencer, MA/David Prouty HS), and Jake McLean-Black’s sacrifice fly gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
The Corsairs took the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. LoMuscio walked and stole second with two out and scored on an error by UR pitcher Patrick Whalen. Sophomore right fielder Kevin Raudonaitis (Dartmouth, MA/Dartmouth HS) and Smolinsky followed with RBI singles.
Luke Wetmore singled home a run for the Bulldogs in the last of the seventh and Kyle Gardner’s RBI single tied it in the eighth.
Jeff Ponsford led off the ninth with a walk and pinch-hitter Matt Goldstein sacrificed. Ponsford advanced to second and came around to score on an error by Corsair freshman second baseman Peter Gomez (Bridgewater, MA/Bridgewater-Raynham HS).
Nolan Nicholson, the third UR pitcher, earned the victory with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and improved to 1-0. Freshman Matt Kurth (Chilmark, MA/Martha’s Vineyard HS), who relieved UMD senior starter Lee Marques (Fall River, MA/Diman Regional HS) in the seventh inning, took the loss and fell to 0-1.
The Corsairs fell to 1-1, while Redlands improved to 14-3. UMass Dartmouth will continue their spring trip when they visit Whittier.
