By Chris Gionta
@Chris_Gionta
After an 11-run victory at Trinity on Wednesday, the Springfield College baseball team suffered a 10-5 loss against Dean on Thursday evening at Archie Allen Field.
“We didn’t play as well today in any aspect of the game,” said Springfield head coach Mark Simeone. “We had some opportunities to make plays that we didn’t make when we needed to. We had some opportunities to drive in some runners — didn’t do it today — did it last night multiple times. And, we walked nine guys. It’s hard to win games when you walk that many guys, too.”
The game began with some bad luck for Springfield’s starting pitcher Colby Welch. The leadoff batter grounded the ball softly, but too far to the shortstop’s right to be able to retrieve it and throw it to first base on time. After a walk, a groundout to second advanced runners to second and third. A single up the middle drove in the game’s first two runs, and another infield single followed. But, Welch got out of it with only two runs allowed.
However, he ran into more trouble in the second inning. After a 1-out walk, Dean hit a fly ball to right-center field that would be routine on a normal day, but due to the excessive wind in that direction, it went beyond the right fielder and center fielder for an RBI triple. The following batter hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.
After scoreless innings from Welch and Anthony Ponticello in the third and fourth innings, the Pride were able to make some noise offensively. After Cole Zalegowski singled and Jack Simonetty reached second base on an error by the right fielder, Noah Bleakley came through with a two-run double to cut the deficit in half.
In the next inning, the Pride loaded the bases up with two outs, and Simonetty worked an RBI walk to make it 4-3.
Dean put base runners on early in the sixth inning with two walks. The first of those base runners stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Shamus Biggs came into the game and limited the damage, as with men on second and third and no one out, he allowed just one of the inherited runners to score on a sacrifice fly. In the next inning, after an error that put men on first and second with one out, Biggs shut the door with two swinging strikeouts.
The Pride were only able to hold off the Bulldogs’ rallying for so long, however. A single and a walk put Dean runners on second and third with one out in the top of the eighth inning, which set up for a 2-run single to make it 7-3, Bulldogs. After two more walks and a groundout, the situation set up for the bases to be loaded with two outs on a 3-2 count. With the runners going, the Dean left-handed batter lined a letter-high fastball into the right-center gap and drove in three runs to extend their lead to seven.
Joe Traversa smashed a two-run triple with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not nearly enough to mount a comeback.
After 18 non-conference games so far this season, Springfield will jump into conference play for a Saturday doubleheader at Babson.
“I don’t necessarily stress conference games as being more important, but they are,” Simeone said. “There’s always a little more energy when you’re playing conference teams.”
Springfield’s next game at Archie Allen Field will be on April 5 against MIT.
Photo: Springfield College Athletics