PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Playing as the home team at Plymouth State University's Parish Field, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth scored a single run in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 walk-off win over the Panthers in a Little East Conference (LEC) baseball game on Thursday.
 
PSU built leads of 2-0 and 4-2, but the Corsairs scrapped back to pull even each time and came up with a clutch hit to plate the winning run in the ninth.
 
Originally planned to be an LEC twin bill, the second game was canceled due to weather. The teams will play two games at the UMD Baseball Field on Saturday (Apr. 17), with the first game counting in the LEC standings. Plymouth State will bat last in game two.
 
With the setback PSU falls to 5-6 (1-5 LEC). UMass Dartmouth improves to 4-9 and 3-5 in league play.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 4, UMass Dartmouth 5
  • Plymouth State (5-6, 1-5 LEC)
  • UMass Dartmouth (4-9, 3-5 LEC)

 
How it Happened:

• Junior Noah Wachter (Concord, N.H.) worked out of early trouble by inducing a ground out with a runner on third and two away in the first, then picking off a runner to end the second.
• Plymouth State went ahead in the third when graduate student Andrew Salta (Laconia, N.H.) reached on an infield hit and moved to second on a throwing error. He advanced on a groundout, then came home on junior Drew Metzdorf's (Burlington, Mass.) clutch two-out single for a 1-0 lead.
• Wachter struck out the side in the third and the Panthers looked primed to tack on in the fourth. After senior Andrew Wasilefsky (Willington, Conn.) singled, junior Brody Fillion (Littleton, N.H.) rocked a pitch to deep right center that hit the very top of the fence, but UMD executed a perfect relay throw to cut down Wasilefsky at the plate. PSU's aggressive baserunning resulted in another out at home when Fillion was gunned down on graduate student Gavin Cook's (Littleton, N.H.) infield hit.
• The Panthers loaded the bases in the sixth on two walks and Cook's single, but a double play ball ended the threat.
• Salta walked, stole second and took third when the Corsairs' second baseman couldn't handle the throw to open the seventh and freshman Luke Sokolski (Waterford, Conn.) followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
• UMass Dartmouth rallied in the bottom of the inning. After opening the frame with a strikeout, the Corsairs used a single, walk and hit batter to load the bases and a single up the middle evened the game at 2-2. Sophomore Richie Marique (Derry, N.H.) came on in relief and got a lazy fly ball and infield popup to avoid further trouble.
• The Panthers came right back in the eighth as Fillion singled and senior Joe Routhier (Nashua, N.H.) worked a one-out walk. Salta followed with a base hit to right that got by the right fielder to allow both runners to score and give PSU a 4-2 lead.
• The Corsairs used a two-out rally to even the game in the bottom of the inning and had runners on second and third with two down, but Marique picked off the lead runner to keep the game tied.
• PSU put two on in the top of the ninth but was unable to score and the Corsairs walked off with the win in the bottom of the inning.

By the Numbers:

• Wachter allowed just four hits and two runs while striking out seven over 6.1 innings. Marique (0-4) took the loss.
• Fillion reached base in all four of his plate appearances with a double, two singles and a walk. Salta (2-for-3), Cook (2-for-4) and Metzdorf (2-for-5) also had multi-hit games for the Panthers.
• Plymouth State banged out 13 hits.
• PSU had scored in double digits in each of its last five games.

Up Next:

• The two teams meet again on Saturday (Apr. 17) in Massachusetts. Game one (12:00 p.m.) will be an LEC contest, while PSU will act as the home team in game two (3:00 p.m.).