BALTIMORE --
Ehi Okojie homered and drove in four runs as the UMBC Baseball team ran its winning-streak to seven with a 12-2 (7) run-rule victory over visiting Iona on Friday night.
Okojie hit a two-run blast in the bottom of the first and then added a two run double in the sixth, while
Derek Paris went 3-for-3 on the day with an RBI on the day.
Zach Robinson improved to 5-0 on the season by going 6.0 innings and allowing just one run on three hits.
The Retrievers (16-9, 5-1) plated four in the bottom of the first to go up 4-0. After Okojie's two-run shot,
Danny Orr and
Danny Wyatt hit back-to-back singles, and Paris then doubled home Orr and an errant throw back into the infield allowed Wyatt to score.
The Gaels threatened to cut into the lead in the top of the fifth after getting runners on the corners with no outs after a single and an error, but Robinson got back-to-back strikeouts and a grounder to escape. UMBC broke it open in the bottom half of the inning Wyatt walked with one out, went to third on a Paris single, and scored on a
Kyle Eddington sacrifice bunt. Paris would eventually score on a
Jacob Bagania sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
Iona got a run back in the top of the sixth, but the Dawgs responded with five of their own in the bottom half.
Dylan Melton and
Anthony Mascuilli drew back-to-back walks to start the inning, and then both scored on Okojie's double to push the lead to 8-1. Okojie then scored on and Eddington two-out single, Wyatt raced home on a double steal, and Bagania plated Eddington with an RBI single to make it 11-1.
The guests stayed alive by pushing across a run in the top of the seventh, but the Retrievers walked it off in the bottom of the seventh when
Jesiah Carpenter was hit by a pitch, stole second with two outs, and then scored on a
Nico Ong single.
Orr, who has a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, had two hits to give him eight multi-hit contests in that span.
Joe Lomangino returned from an injury suffered opening weekend and picked up his first hit of the season.
The series finale will be on Saturday at 3 p.m.
