BELMONT, Mass. - Rivals Keene
State College and Plymouth State University took to the road on
Thursday to get their Little East Conference game played.
With both teams still unable to play at home, the Owls and Panthers
hooked up in a slugfest at Belmont (Mass.) High School where Keene
State held off a late Plymouth State rally to secure a 12-9 win.
Keene State, ranked No. 9 nationally in the current ABCA Division
III national poll improves to 13-4 (2-1 LEC). Plymouth falls to
4-12 (0-3 LEC).
The Panthers jumped on the Owls for five runs in the top of the
first. PSU, which took advantage of three KSC errors, had four
hits, including an RBI single by Steve Picco
(Marshfield, Mass.).
KSC took the lead right back with six runs in the bottom of the
second. With two outs, Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H.) and Joe
Rousseau (Nashua, N.H.) delivered RBI hits, and Jamie Chevalier
(Amherst, N.H.) cracked his first home run of the season, a
three-run shot to right center.
The Owls scored two more runs in the third and fourth innings to go
up 10-5. Ryan Jones (Nashua, N.H.) had a two-run single in the
third.
The Panthers got one run back in the fifth on a two-out RBI single
from Picco.
KSC got two more insurance runs in the sixth. Chevalier
tripled and came home on a fielder's choice and Bobby Doyon (Keene,
N.H.) had an RBI double.
They would need the runs. Kevin Levandowski
(Derry, N.H.)made things interesting with a three-run home run, his
first of the season, in the top of the eighth.
Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.) came in to shutdown the Panthers in the
ninth to notch his fifth save.
KSC finished the game with 14 hits, Tyler Diprato (Suffield, Conn.)
and Chevalier led the way with three hits. Perkins, Rousseau, and
Doyon had two each hit each.
Levandowski had a big day for the Panthers, finishing with four
hits and three RBIs. Jay Kleponis (Reading,
Mass.) and Picco finished with two hits each.
KSC starter Aaron LaPlante (Charlestown, N.H.) improved his record
to 3-0. He pitched six innings, giving up six runs on eight
hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Mike Riley (East
Hartford, Conn.) pitched a couple of inning before handing the ball
to Ford.
Freshman John Andersch (Concord, N.H.), now 1-2, started for PSC
and took the loss. Chris Welch (So. Burlington, Vt.) and Justin
Flanagan (Hingham, Mass.) also saw action on the mound.
Due to the scheduled rainy weather, PSU's doubleheader scheduled
for Saturday at UMass-Dartmouth has been moved to Sunday. Keene
State's is scheduled to play at Western Conn. on Saturday.
(Courtesy of Keene State Sports Information)
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