April 28, 2009
Final Stats
Sophomore first baseman Kevin Quaranto homered three times and five Saints has two hits or more, but UMass scored four big unearned runs and Brian Baudinet delivered a ringing two-out RBI double to left centerfield in the top of the 10th to lift the visiting Minutemen past Siena 11-10 Tuesday in Loudonville.
Siena put the first two runners on in the bottom of the 10th, but Bill Cardona was gunned down at third after trying to advance on a ball in the dirt. Siena argued that the pitch hit center fielder Jason DeFilippo in the foot, which would have loaded the bases with no outs, but after a brief conference, the umpires decided to uphold the original call. DeFilippo ended up striking out. Dan Paolini then walked and Quaranto struck out swinging to end the game.
UMass' decisive rally started much more innocently. Reliever Dan Lazzaroni struck out the first two men he faced in the 10th after cruising through his first 1.2 innings of work. He then walked Adam Tempesta on four pitches. Baudinet followed with the run-scoring double as Tempesta just beat the relay throw home.
Siena scored two or more runs in four of the first seven innings, but still trailed, 10-9, entering the eighth. That was due in large part to a four-run UMass rally in the fifth that followed an error which would have ended the inning without any damage.
The Saints used the long ball to stay in the game, and ultimately tie things up. Dan Paolini and Quaranto went back-to-back in the third inning to start the Siena scoring. Paolini's seventh home run of the season was a two-run shot that tied the score and Quaranto followed with his first of three long opposite field shots.
In the fifth, Quaranto delivered a two-run blast and Paolini chased home two more runs with a double in the sixth. In the seventh, Juan Amador and Nick Messinger had RBI groundouts and Quaranto's third home run tied the game in the eighth.
Sam Boone, Kyle Multner and Mike Donato had three hits each for UMass. Multner homered and drove in five runs.
Cardona led the way for Siena with four hits. Paolini and Quaranto each had three. Eric Mruczek and Gray DerHagopian had two hits apiece.
Despite the high-scoring affair, Siena received some effective pitching performances. In addition to Lazzaroni, Ryan Poplawski threw 6.1 innings, scattering 15 hits and allowing just four earned runs. He spelled the Siena bullpen with a gutty effort and got better each inning.
Siena returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Rhode Island in its final non-conference game of the season. First pitch is again scheduled for 4 p.m.
