Baseball Advance To NEWMAC Baseball Championship With 8-4 Win Over Clark
NORTON, MA- Junior shortstop Chris McCarthy (East Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow)
went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk and senior hurler Bryan
Royal (Orange, MA/Cushing Academy) posted his first complete-game victory of
the year, leading the number-three seed Springfield College baseball team to
an 8-4 win over seventh seed Clark University in Sunday's New England Women's
and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinal at Wheaton
College's Sidell Stadium.
Springfield now advances to the championship round for the second straight
season, where they will face unbeaten Wheaton Monday at 3:30 p.m. Improving
to 19-14 overall, the Pride will need to defeat Wheaton twice in order to lay
claim to their first conference tournament title. Clark falls to 17-18
overall.
The Cougars held a 1-0 lead after two innings of play this afternoon, but
Springfield used two four-run innings in the third and fourth frames to
capture an 8-1 advantage and a lead that was not relinquished. Junior Scott
Samolewicz (Florence, MA/Northampton) highlighted the Pride's third inning
with a two-run single to right field. In the fourth, Springfield plated four
unearned runs to take a seven-run lead. Senior Matt Basteri (Melrose,
MA/Melrose) drove in two runs with a single up the middle.
Springfield held Clark scoreless for six straight innings, but the Cougars
made things interesting in the ninth. Consecutive singles from sophomore
Nicholas Tapper (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton), junior Scott Archibald (Windham,
CT/Windham) and senior Jeffrey Gagnon (West Springfield, MA/West Springfield)
loaded the bases to begin the frame. Freshman Joseph Silva (Westbury,
NY/Carie Place) then drew a walk to score Clark's second run of the game.
First-year Matthew Adams (Jackson Heights, NY/Francis Lewis) then entered the
game in a pinch hitting situation and delivered, belting a two-run single to
center to help the Cougars narrow their deficit to four runs. Springfield's
Royal bounced back to force a come backer to the mound, which resulted in a
double play ball for a quick two outs. Royal proceeded to get his final
batter to foul off a pitch towards the backstop, as sophomore catcher Jeff
Hewes (Groton, CT/Groton) made the routine catch to secure the victory.
Royal allowed four earned runs on 11 hits with one strikeout and four walks,
while Clark sophomore Timothy Simokonis (Worcester, MA/St. Peter Marian)
suffered the loss. Simokonis surrendered four runs on four hits while fanning
one batter and issuing two walks. Offensively for the Cougars, Archibald,
Tapper and senior captain Todd Mathewson (North Branford, CT/North Branford)
posted two hits apiece.
Team Links
Head Coach Mark Simeone
Former Springfield College standout
Mark Simeone will enter his 17th season as the head baseball coach at his alma mater in 2013 . The reigning NEWMAC Coach of the year is coming off a successful 2012 campaign in which the Pride went 20-15.
Read more.
Contact Head Coach Mark Simeone
E-Mail | Phone: 413.748.3274
