Box Score Lowell, Mass.— UMBC baseball picked up a 10-2 win against Hartford on Saturday afternoon to advance to their first ever America East Championship game appearance. The win improves their record to 34-19 on the year.
UMBC got on the board early after loading the bases in the first. With Vince Corbi (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) on third, Andrew Casali (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) hit an RBI ground out to score Corbi. Connor Hax (Bowie, Md./Bishop McNamara) followed up ripping a single on the very next pitch to score Hunter Dolshun (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley). UMBC would take a 2-0 lead into the second.
The Retrievers would strike again in the second inning. After a pair of Hawk errors and a bunt single by Kevin Lachance (Clifton, Va./Centreville) loaded the bases, Corbi ripped a single to left to score Mitchell Carroll (Oakton, Va./Oakton) and Brady Zinda (Woodbridge, Va./Hylton). Freshman Jamie Switalski (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) drew a walk with the bases loaded to give the Retrievers a 5-0 lead. Casali torched a single to center to score another run, followed by an RBI walk by Carroll to make it 7-0 in the second.
Hartford struck in the fourth, scoring a run off a triple to left center field, and an RBI ground out to cut the deficit to 7-2.
Lachance would get a two-out single, followed by a Corbi single to put a pair on in the sixth. However the rally would be thwarted after a fly out ends the sixth.
The Retrievers added insurance in the form of a Jake Barnes (Annandale, Va./Annandale) triple to right center, scoring Hax, Casali and Tim Kelly (Hampton, Va./York/Virginia Tech) making it 10-2.
UMBC would shut down the Hawks in the ninth to win 10-2, advancing to their first championship appearance in program history. Cory Callahan (Sykesville, Md./Good Counsel) got his fourth win of the year, going seven innings giving up just two runs. Lachance led the offense going 3-5, while Barnes knocked in three runs.
UMBC will turn right around in the championship game against Stony Brook at 5:00 p.m. If the Retrievers win, there will be a winner take all final game tomorrow, May 24 at noon.
