HARWICH, Mass. – Freshman Connor Walsh (Waldwick, N.J.) went 3-for-5 with three trips to home plate and two RBI to help lift third-seeded Ramapo to a 12-4 triumph over seventh-seeded Curry in the fourth game of the second round of the 2015 NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional this evening at Whitehouse Field.
Ramapo (30-14) moves on to the winners bracket final to take on fourth-seeded Salem State at 4:30 p.m. while Curry (24-14) takes on MIT tomorrow at 1:15 p.m.
The Roadrunners scored seven runs over the first three frames of play, pushing across five tallies in the top of the second, taking advantage of a pair of miscues by the Colonels.
Following an RBI single by Walsh, senior Brandon Berger (Belvidere, N.J.), junior Ryan Rinsky (North Caldwell, N.J.) and sophomore Robert DeAngelis (Staten Island, N.Y.) all scampered home on a throwing error by the pitcher off of an infield single.
Walsh and junior Rafael Dela Cruz (Elizabeth, N.J.) then scampered home for Ramapo in the top of the third for the commanding 7-0 edge.
Curry answered back in the bottom of the third as senior Derek Pizarro (Cambridge, MA) rapped out a single to help score freshman William De La Cruz (Bronx, N.Y.) before junior Kyle Connors (Stoughton, Mass.) touched the plate on a misplayed ball by the centerfielder to slice into the deficit.
The Roadrunners built up their margin to 9-2 on a RBI single by senior Scott Peschiani (Harriman, N.Y.) in the sixth and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Robert DeAngelis (Staten Island, N.Y) to help bring in Berger, who tripled in the very next stanza.
The Colonels strung together five base knocks in seven at-bats with run producing appearances by freshman Evan Morris (Pembroke, Mass.) and junior John Arens (Milton, Mass.) to narrow the gap to 9-4, but left a man at every base as senior Tom Portesy (Flanders, N.J.) got out of the jam with a strikeout.
Ramapo put the game away with three runs in the top of the eighth. Walsh and senior Rich Policastro (Lodi, N.J.) had consecutive RBI solo safeties down the right field line while Walsh notched his third tally of the game on an errant throw by the second baseman trying to double off a man at first.
Portesy (9-1) fanned nine over eight innings of work as he allowed four earned runs on eight hits with three walks.
Sophomore Brian Burke (Swampscott, Mass.) absorbed the loss and fell to 4-2 on the season. Burke surrendered eight runs (one earned) off nine hits to go with five strikeouts and three walks.
Dela Cruz was 3-for-5 with one run and an RBI while Berger finished with two base-knocks and he scored a pair of runs. Morris and Pizarro both went 2-for-4 as De La Cruz had two of Curry's four runs. (Recap courtesy of the ECAC)
