AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Worcester State University's Adam Barry (Auburn, Mass.) and Jake Ryan (Northbridge, Mass.) led the Lancers to a 13-7 win over Thomas College Monday afternoon at the Lake Myrtle Complex.
Barry batted 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, two runs, and three RBI, while Ryan went 3-for-5 with three runs, a triple, a walk, and an RBI.
Mike Ferrara (Easton, Mass.), Brian Bonacquisti (Pittsfield, Mass.), and Kenan Kolanda (Sterling, Mass.) each went 2-for-4 on the occasion. Ferrara's two hits were both doubles, while Bonacquisti listed a triple in the book.
Worcester State's Luke Brennan (Worcester, Mass.) earned the win on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing four runs on six hits. Brennan walked one batter and struck out six.
The Lancers jumped off to a quick start as they scored six runs off five hits in the top of the 1st. Ryan was the first Lancer to cross the plate on an RBI single from Barry after reaching on a hit to right center. Following Barry's hit, Ferrara came up to bat and sent two runners home on a double to left field. The Blue and Gold tallied three more runs on a triple from Bonacquisti and a single from Kolanda.
After several 1-2-3 innings on both sides, Thomas finally reached the board in the bottom of the 5th inning on three hits. With two men on base after being hit by pitches, Thomas' Jaicob Flores (Kingsville, Texas) singled up the middle to load the bases. Derek LeBlanc (Madison, Maine) and Isaiah Arana (Orlando, Fla.) hit two consecutive hits to drive in four runs at the plate to advance the score to 6-4.
Worcester State added to their lead in the top of the 7th when they scored four runs on four hits. Ryan scored the 7th run of the game, while Barry scored the 8th run on a sacrifice fly from Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.). Next up, rookie Kevin Larkin (Bristol, Conn.) hit his first collegiate home run to add two more runs to the board (10-4).
The Lancers expanded their lead in the top of the 8th with three additional runs on a triple from Ryan, a single from Chadd Richardson (Bristol, Conn.) and a double from Barry.
Thomas notched three more runs in the bottom of the 9th on a triple from Darren Kelly (Foxboro, Mass.), a single from Flagg, and a double from Arana to conclude the game with a final score of 13-7.
Thomas' Kyle Fletcher (Monmouth, Me.) was tagged the loss on the mound, as he let up the six runs in the first inning pitched.
Next up, the Lancers (2-4) will play the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point tomorrow (Mar. 21) at the Lake Myrtle Complex.