WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State first baseman Nick Marshall (Reading, Mass.) launched his eighth home run of the season and collected four RBI, but the Owls late-inning comeback effort fell short in a 10-7 loss to Trinity College on Tuesday afternoon from Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass.
The Owls drop to 8-12 on the season while the Bantams improve to 14-7 overall.
Trinity tallied the first eight runs of the contest with runs crossing the plate from the second to fifth innings. Dylan Schnitzer (Huntington, N.Y.) started the scoring with a run-scoring single to right. Another run came in to score on an Owls' throwing error.
The Bantams capitalized on more defensive miscues in the third inning from Westfield, leading to three additional runs in the frame. Two more runs scored in the fourth inning, capped off by a deep solo home run from Jack Ryan (Bethesda, Md.) to drive the lead up to seven runs. Ryan ended the day with a four-hit performance while recording a pair of RBIs. William Frain (South Hamilton, Mass.) captured the Bantams eighth unanswered run on a single to centerfield.
Marshall put a dent in the Owls deficit in the bottom half of the fifth by belting a three-run shot to right-center field to cut the Bantams lead to five runs, 8-3.
Schnitzer picked up another RBI in the seventh inning on a single to left to drive in Sean Meth (Port Washington, N.Y.) and give the Bantams a six-run advantage.
Westfield continued to fight back in the ensuing half inning with Marshall rocketing a ball towards first base which went underneath the glove of the defender and into right field, allowing for Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) and Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.) to trot home, making it a 9-5 game.
Neidel trimmed the Bantams lead down to three in the eighth inning after smashing a ball off the leftfield wall for a two-out RBI double, plating Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.). The Owls brought the tying run to home plate in the inning as well, but Trinity reliever Tyler Colditz (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) was able to escape the frame by forcing a popup.
The Bantams scored an insurance run in the ninth inning as Schnitzer deposited his third RBI of the contest into center with two out in the frame to push the lead up to 10-6.
With the Owls down to their final out, Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) kept the game alive by crushing a homer to left-center field, cutting the deficit back down to three runs. Faulkner followed and stung a ball into the hole on the left side of the infield that was stabbed on a backhand, but an overthrow caused a play at second where catcher Yoshi Omi-Jarrett (Mill Valley, Calif.) alertly backed-up the throw and fired a strike to second for the out to conclude the game.
Michael Hall (Westfield, Mass.) got the start for Westfield, tossing the first five innings of the game, allowing eight runs (four earned) on six hits. Bantams' starter Ian Brown (Tampa, Fla.) picked up his second victory of the season after pitching five innings, giving up three runs on five hits with two strikeouts.
Westfield State will have a quick turnaround as the Owls host Wesleyan University tomorrow at 4:00 P.M. from Hagan Field in Westfield, Mass. Trinity will travel to Bates College in a NESCAC series beginning on Friday at 3:00 P.M.