Baseball Rallies Past Mass. Maritime 9-7

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team returned to the win-column with a 9-7 come-from-behind victory at Mass. Maritime Monday afternoon.

The Lions climb to 6-5 on the season with the win while the Buccaneers sink to 2-4 overall.

Shane McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) nearly hit for the cycle, finishing just a single shy, as he racked up three hits to go with three RBIs and four runs scored. Steven Pesce (Harrison, N.Y.) registered two hits and scored two runs. Ethaniel Almandarez (Lynn, Mass.) posted one hit, two RBIs, and one run scored. Anderson Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in with one base knock and two RBIs while Frank Landeiro (Orlando, Fla.) added one hit with two runs scored.

The home side captured a 1-0 edge with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Aidan Henderson singled to right field to drive in Michael Doyle from second base.

Mass. Maritime tacked on three runs in the second to widen the margin to 4-0. Chris Perito lifted a sacrifice fly to knock in Tucker Leslie. Alex Schlapak doubled down the left field line to plate Hunter Dean before crossing the dish as Doyle swiped second base.

The Buccaneers added a run in the third to push their advantage to 5-0. Leslie flared a base hit to the gap in right-centerfield to drive in Michael Estrada.

Eastern Nazarene got on the board in the top of the fourth inning, plating one run. McNamara launched a leadoff home run for his second of the spring.

The Lions manufactured three runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to 5-4. McNamara laced a double down the right field line to plate Pesce. Jimenez roped a one-out double down the right field line to score Landeiro and McNamara.

The visitors seized a 7-5 lead with three runs in the seventh inning. McNamara raked a two-out triple to left field to knock in Pesce before Elmendarez belted his second homer of the season, a two-run shot to right-centerfield.

Mass. Maritime evened the contest at 7-7 with a pair of scores in the bottom of the eighth. Leslie scampered home on an infield hit off the bat of Perito and Perito scored the game-tying run later in the frame.

Eastern Nazarene regained a two-run edge in the top of the ninth, 9-7, chalking up two runs. Landeiro and McNamara both crossed the dish as Hunter Leroux-Porter (Greenland, N.H.) reached on a fielder's choice.

Spencer Boynton (Wellington, Fla.) tossed 1.2 innings in his third start of the year and record two strikeouts. Jon Tessier (Coronado, Calif.) worked 7.1 innings in his sixth relief outing and fanned six batters.    

Up next, the Lions return home to take on Tufts March 16.