Lasers Seal Incredible 5-4 Win over Becker with Game Ending Double Play

Waltham, Mass.- With bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning, Lasell turned a textbook double play to seal a 5-4 victory over Becker College.  Lasell's Josh Sullivan (Rockland, Mass.) earned the win on the mound, pitching phenomenal in seven innings, producing 10 strikeouts, allowing six hits and just one earned run.

The Lasers got out of the top of the inning allowing no runs, leaving two Hawk runners on base.  The second half of the inning resulted in Lasell going ahead 1-0, as Jim Amon (Warren, NJ) hit an RBI single through the right side sending Matt Mahoney (Rockland, Mass.) two bases into home. 

After Sullivan struck out the first two batters in the second inning, Keith Kandel (Northbridge, Mass.) came around unearned advancing on Laser errors.  Sullivan made a beautiful grab on the mound sending the ball to Conor Cavanaugh (Quincy, Mass.) at first for the final out of the top of the inning.  The Hawks got three quick outs during the bottom of the frame, including senior pitcher Ben Markle's (Medfield, Mass.) second K of the game.

Sullivan struck out two more Hawks looking in the third, and a final ground out held the score at 1-1.  Becker then generated a double play for their third out as Kandel fielded the ball sending it to Jairo Valdez (Lynn, Mass.) to get the out at second and finally Dan Briand (Northbridge, Mass.) finished the play at first.

Junior Vieja (Randolph, Mass.) hit a line drive double for Lasell in the fourth but was left on base through the bottom of the inning.

A pitching change in the fifth put lefthander Ryan Mercado (Old Saybrook, Conn.) in the spotlight for Becker.  Matt Mahoney bunted to get on base with two Lasers already on the bags.  Ryan Walsh (Stoneham, Mass.) scored on a Becker error, followed by Sean Ruderman (Pittsfield, Mass.) to go ahead 3-1.  Mike Mahoney (Rockland, Mass.) sent a sac fly to left field bringing Matt Mahoney in, and Sullivan came home on Cavanaugh's base hit which shot between first and second base. Lasell enjoyed a 5-1 lead after the third out.

Josue Lopez (Manchester, Conn.) got things started for the Hawks in the sixth with a run scored off of Briand's double smacked to centerfield. Briand then stole third and rounded home on a Laser overthrow. Sullivan ended the inning with his 10^th strikeout of the evening.

The score remained unchanged through the bottom of the seventh. Things began to shift however, in the eighth.

Matt Mahoney took over the Lasers mound from Sullivan.  After a base hit by Briand, Frank Vaccaro (Shrewsbury, Mass.) hammered an RBI triple to left center.  With the game tying run on third and two outs, Geoff Sinnott, Jr. (Coventry, RI) and Kandel walked to put the go-ahead runners on for the visitors.   With the bases loaded, and a full count, Mahoney struck the Hawk's batter out to hold onto the 5-4 Laser advantage.

Nick Guzman (Worcester, Mass.) assumed the pitching position in the ninth inning for Lasell. Becker's Valdez got a base hit, stole second, and advanced to third on a balk.  A diving catch in short center by Ruderman gave Lasell their first out.  Lopez and Briand both walked to load the bases once again.

With a 1-2 count, Weston Meehan (Thomson, GA) sent a grounder to Matt Mahoney at short, who quickly released the ball to Sullivan at second, who in turn delivered it to Cavanaugh at first.  The perfectly executed play sealed the home team's ninth victory of the year.

The Lasers (9-18) return to GNAC play on Saturday when they travel to Suffolk for a doubleheader beginning at noon.  Becker (11-8-1) also returns to conference play on the same date and time when they face NECC rivals Mitchell College, at WPI.