Baseball Clipped by New England College in NECC Tournament Opener

NEW LONDON, Conn.- The No. 2 seed Eastern Nazarene College baseball team absorbed a 10-7 setback to third-seeded New England College in the first round of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament Friday.

THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 7, New England College 10
Records: Lions (24-13) | Pilgrims (16-20)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• New England College picked up a run in the top of the third inning to seize a 1-0 edge.
• The Pilgrims tallied two runs in the fourth to widen the gap to 3-0.
• New England College produced three runs in the fifth inning to stretch its advantage to 6-0.
• Eastern Nazarene got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, scoring once to cut the deficit to 6-1. Brandon Guerrero (Boston, Mass.) belted his team-leading third home run of the season.
• The Pilgrims responded with one run in the sixth to reclaim a six-run lead, 7-1.
• The Lions manufactured a run in the seventh to trim the margin to 7-2. Anderson Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.) launched his second homer of the year.
• New England College chalked up a run in the top of the eighth inning to grab an 8-2 advantage.
• Eastern Nazarene generated five runs in the home half of the eighth to pull to within one run, 8-7. Shane McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) roped a single to right field to drive in Elvis Rojas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). Frank Landeiro (Orlando, Fla.) followed with a base knock to plate Francis Ferguson (Jefferson, Mass.). Juan Jacobo Lopez (San Diego, Calif.) drew a bases-loaded walk to score Shane McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) from third base. Brandon Guerrero (Boston, Mass.) laced a two-out single to centerfield to knock in Frank Landeiro (Orlando, Fla.) and Anderson Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.).
• The Pilgrims tacked on two runs in the ninth to push their lead to 10-7.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Brandon Guerrero (Boston, Mass.) posted two hits, three RBIs, and one run scored.
• Anderson Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.) finished with two base hits, two runs scored, and an RBI.
• Elvis Rojas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) landed a pair of hits and scored one run.
• Frank Landeiro (Orlando, Fla.) and Shane McNamara (Londonderry, N.H.) both chipped in with one hit, one RBI, and one run scored.
• Spencer Boynton (Tampa, Fla.) started on the mound and tossed five innings while registering nine strikeouts. Dale Beneway (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) worked two innings of relief and notched four strikeouts. Luke Descheneaux (Lowell, Mass.), David Carey (Greenfield, Mass.), and Jon Tessier (Coronado, Calif.) also made appearance out of the bullpen.

NECC TOURNAMENT ROLLS ON:
No. 2 seed Eastern Nazarene faces fourth-seeded Lesley May 6 in an NECC Tournament elimination game.