Salve Regina def. Mass. Maritime, 4-3; top two seeds advance to title game

NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University freshman right fielder David Neil (Randolph, Mass.) collected three basehits including an RBI single to lead the second-seeded Seahawks to a 4-3 victory over Massachusetts Maritime Academy in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Baseball Championships semifinal at Reynolds Field. Salve Regina (25-16) reaches the title game for the second time in the history of the program (co-champs in 2004) and will face top-seeded Framingham State University (27-18) after the Rams defeated Western New England University, 4-1, in the other semifinal.

Framingham State did not get a hit off Western New England starter Tom Mahoney (Granville, Mass.) until the eighth inning, and then the Rams scored all four of their runs. The championship game will also be hosted by the Seahawks at Reynolds Field (higher seeded Rams will be home team) with first pitch set for 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 10.

Live video streaming with play-by-play of the championship game available at http://salveathletics.com/sports/bsb/tournament/schedule.

ECAC Division III New England Baseball Semifinal 1 - Seahawks 4, Buccaneers 3

The visiting Buccaneers reached Salve Regina starter Kyle Pheland (No. Scituate, R.I.) for a run in the top of the first when Everett Walsh (Marstons Mills, Mass.) singled to right field with two out to score Terrence Mudie (Barnstable, Mass.).

The Seahawks tied the game with an unearned run in the bottom of the third when John Militano (Miller Place, N.Y.) reached on an infield error, stole second and advanced to third on another error, before coming home on a ground out by Alek Kucich (Old Brookville, N.Y.). Seahawk freshman catcher Christian Vargas (Melbourne, Fla.) put Salve Regina ahead with a two-out single in the fourth to plate Neil.

Mass. Maritime's Mudie drilled his first home run of the season to left field leading off the top of the fifth to tie the score at 2-2. Salve Regina scored two runs in its fifth inning, first on a wild-pitch ball four to Alex Perry (No. Attleboro, Mass.) that delivered Kucich with the go-ahead score, and next Neil drove in Perry with the team's fourth run.

Perry had singled in his first plate appearance to extend his hit streak to 24 games.

Pheland saved his best inning for his last, a 1-2-3 sixth inning, before being relieved by freshman righty Tommy Seaver (Rocky Hill, Conn.). It would be the only 1-2-3 inning for either Seahawk pitcher as the Buccaneers had baserunners in all but the sixth.

Seaver retired the first batter he faced in the ninth, but Greg Downs (Marshfield, Mass.) singled to start a Buccaneer rally. Two straight bases on balls loaded the bases and an infield error made the score, 4-3, before Seaver induced an inning-ending and game-ending double-play grounder to short.

Daniel Donohue (Westbury, N.Y.) flipped to Kucich at second who turned the relay to first baseman Cory Blankmeyer (Centerport, N.Y.). Pheland raised his record to 5-2 and Seaver earned his first collegiate save; Kyle Kennedy (Woodbury, Conn.) suffered the loss to fall to 3-2, while the Buccaneers ended their season at 17-13.

The game marked the final one in the head coaching career of Buccaneer skipper Bob Corradi who retires after 43 seasons at the helm, the only head coach in the history of the program. Corradi, who also spent 38 seasons as an assistant with the Mass. Maritime football program, finishes with 579 career victories.

ECAC Division III New England Baseball Semifinal 2 - Rams 4, Golden Bears 1

Mahoney had a perfect game into the sixth before issuing a two-out walk to the ninth man in the batting order. His teammates had staked him to a 1-0 lead in the top of that frame by following a walk to their ninth man with a grounder to the right side to move the runner to second; the runner, Chris Casey (Milford, Mass.), then stole third and came home on a wild pitch.

The top-seeded Rams exploded for four runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning after R.J. Gray (Lowell, Mass.) doubled for the first Framingham State basehit. After a popup, John Gill (Hudson, Mass.) drew a walk and Kevin Driscoll (Chelmsford, Mass.) reached on an error to set up Ryan Connelly (West Roxbury, Mass.) to drive a two-run ground-rule double into the left-field corner. The next Rams' hitter, Mark Mainini (Hull, Mass.), drove a ball deep to right field which was initially ruled a homerun, but eventually overturned and ruled a ground-rule double to give the Rams a 4-1 lead.

Framingham State starter Zack Kirby (Rochester Mass.) threw a complete-game, four-hitter allowing one run and striking out seven to pick up his seventh win of the season. 

Golden Bears catcher Matt Calzone (Middlebury, Conn.) recorded the first hit for WNE leading off the third, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a high chopper to third. The Golden Bears threatened to add on in the seventh when Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.) doubled after a dropped foul fly. Morin was then caught off second after a fielder's choice comebacker to Kirby. Calzone then singled and advanced to second to put runners on second and third but Kirby forced a fly out to end the threat. 

Calzone finished 2-for-3 for Western New England (19-19) and was the only multi-hit performance for either team. Mahoney took the loss going eight innings giving up three hits, four runs (three earned) and striking out seven.