Minutemen Manufacture Win Over Baseball

Sunday, March 13

Tampa, Fla.

1 PM

Army West Point

5-9

Massachusetts

1-5

UMass

Army West Point

Minutemen Manufacture Win Over Baseball

March 13, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. – Ten runners left on base and a couple of untimely errors by Army West Point's baseball team gave UMass enough of an opportunity to hang on for a 6-2 victory on Sunday afternoon from Tampa Jesuit High School.

"I thought we did some good things at the plate, but we weren't able to come up with the big hit," said head coach Matt Reid. "We have to be more consistent playing our game. When you get 10 hits and only two runs, you've got to find a way to get those guys in somehow.

"The big story, to me, was our defensive mistakes. That led to some runs for them. If we can execute a little better and prevent that from happening, the game will be closer, and could give us a chance to win late."

Starter Garrison Franklin was sharp in the early going, fanning a pair in a 10-pitch first inning in which he set down the Minutemen (1-5) in order. The senior from Granite Falls, N.C., set them down in order again the following inning while adding another strikeout to his line.

Army (5-9) came out with a pair of hits in the opening frame, but was unable to push any runs across. A first-pitch single by Kris Lindner lead off the inning for the Black Knights. He advanced to third on a two-out single down the right field line by catcher Jon Rosoff, but the pair was stranded as UMass starter Justin Lasko got out of the jam with a groundout.

The Minutemen broke the scoreless tie in the third inning as they had their first base runner of the afternoon with a leadoff walk by Ryan Lever. A triple to deep left center by Vinny Scifo opened the scoring for UMass. The next batter singled in Scifo for the second run of the frame before they manufactured two more runs.

The Black Knights responded in the home half with a run if their own. Brandon Lee got his first hit of the season to get things started, shooting the ball through the right side. Lindner was robbed of a single up the middle on a diving effort by Scifo at short flipping the ball to Lever to record the out. Josh White and John McCarthy stayed hot with back-to-back singles to load the bases for Rosoff. The Durham, N.C., native was able to beat out the potential inning-ending double play, plating Lindner for Army's lone run of the inning. Lasko got out of another two-out jam with two runners on base, this time by way of the strikeout.

Franklin tossed his first one-two-three inning in the fifth since the second inning, and needed some help from his defense to get there. Lee showcased his speed by chasing down a ball in the right center gap and making a diving snag for the second out of the inning. The out prevented the Minutemen from putting a runner in scoring position, and allowed the right-hander to roll up a ball to short for the final out of the inning.

A one-out blast by Stu Schley gave Army life in the bottom of the fifth inning, cutting the deficit in half. The homerun was Army's first by someone other than McCarthy. Designated hitter Matt Hudgins kept the inning alive with a single before Keegan Vega doubled into the left field corner in his first at-bat of the game.

UMass answered in the top of the seventh by manufacturing another run. A one-out single combined with an error on a fielder's choice advanced Dylan Morris to second. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a John Jennings sac fly.

The Black Knights were threatening again in the home half, but once again struggled to produce when it mattered most. Starting with two outs, McCarthy's hustle forced an errand throw from third. A wild pitch advanced him to third before a pair of walks by Rosoff and Schley loaded the bases. Trey Martin battled through a tough at-bat with two strikes, but lined out to left to end the threat.

"We've just got to go out and compete on every pitch," added Reid. "North Dakota State has been a very good team every year. If we execute and compete, we will be able to stay with them."

Army will have a day off before facing a North Dakota State team that is 9-5 on Tuesday, March 15, at 2 p.m. from Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.