Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA—The Williams baseball team dropped a heartbreaker Thursday afternoon at Bobby Coombs Field.
Visiting Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts came looked every bit the underdog for eight innings, but fought to stay within striking distance and overcame an 8-3 ninth inning deficit to take the game 9-8. Daniel Gaines pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth for the Trailblazers (8-12) to earn the victory, while Dan Grossman (4-1) took the loss for the Ephs (16-7).
First-year Steve Marino got the start for Williams, and pitched with success in his first home outing. The lefthander threw 4 2/3 innings, giving up three hits and three runs—though just one earned. Marino struggled some with control, walking four, but pitched out of several jams in what was an encouraging start for the young hurler.
Matt Berdoff came on in relief with two outs in the fifth and shut the door for 3 1/3 innings, giving up five hits but no runs. Berdoff also struck out three.
The Ephs, meanwhile, had built up a significant lead. Adam Marske started things in the second inning with a double down the leftfield line, and scored a play later when K.C. Murphy reached on an error. With Murphy in scoring position, second baseman Matt Kastner roped a standup triple to the right-center gap, stretching the lead to 2-1.
MCLA responded with two runs in the fourth, but in the bottom half of the inning a Kastner RBI groundout scored Taylor Mondshein to level the score at three runs apiece.
The floodgates opened for Williams in the fifth. James Allison, Cameron Susk, and Marco Hernandez singled to load the bases with no outs. Pat Barren drew an RBI walk and Mondshein hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-3. After Hernandez scored on a wild pitch, Marske singled home Barren.
Marske stole second and Murphy walked to bring up Kastner, who doubled to center, scoring one. It was the last run the Ephs would score.
But with the Trailblazer bats relatively silent, it seemed as though a five-run lead would be more than enough. Tommy Stephens replaced Berdoff on the hill to start the ninth, but MCLA eluded its final outs again and again. A double, walk, and fielder's choice scored cut the lead to four with one out in the inning. Then a sharply hit ground ball at Kastner bounced off a rock in the infield and over the second baseman's head, advancing runners to first and third. First baseman Bobby Beauchesne lofted a fly to shallow left field that just managed to fall between Susk and Marske and scored another run.
A pitch to Joe Duncan snuck past Eph catcher Chance Reuger to the backstop, and Reuger's throw to third went wide, allowing another to score. After Duncan, the potential tying run, singled to deep short, Eph coach Bill Barrale replaced Stephens with submariner Dan Grossman.
After Grossman walked the first hitter he faced, Mike Meaney reached hit a groundball to Kastner, whose throw to second brought Susk off the bag, loading the bases. With the tying run now just 90 feet away, leftfielder Joe Parillo dribbled a grounder down the third base line. Grossman ran to field it, whirled and threw to first. Duncan scored and Parillo was ruled safe at first, prompting some protest from Barrale and the Eph faithful. A fielder's choice and a groundout ended the inning and the rally, but MCLA had gone ahead 9-8.
Pat Barren's one-out single gave the Ephs some hope in the bottom of the ninth, but Taylor Mondshein struck out looking, resting the home team's final hopes on Marske. The young leftfielder launched a 1-1 offering 385 feet to center, but it settled safely in Duncan's glove.
Marske finished 3 for 5 on the day, while Kastner was 2 for 4 with three RBI. Allison and Susk added multi-hit days for the Ephs, who take the field again tomorrow against St. Michael's.
