Baseball's eight-run eighth key in win at Bentley

WALTHAM, Massachusetts - Facing a significant deficit and racing against the setting sun, the American International College baseball team sent 13 batters to the plate and scored eight times in what proved to be the final inning of an 11-8 nonconference win over Northeast-10 Conference foe Bentley University on Wednesday, March 27.

AIC is now 7-14 on the season.

In the first, AIC opened the scoring. Josh Frometa worked a one-out walk, and Jackson Haker hit a single to left. Chad Lavelle followed with a base knock to center, bringing in Frometa.

The Falcons took advantage of a miscue by AIC in the third to bring in three; a leadoff error was compounded by a walk, a hit, a passed ball, a wild pitch, and another walk before a sacrifice bunt put Bentley up 3-1. The home side then added a run each in the fourth and fifth.

AIC struck back in the sixth, with Owen Clancy and Shea Cucinotta both singling, and then Yeudy Ramirez drove a hit to center to score the former. Brendan Edvardsen walked to pack the bases, which was critical in allowing Cucinotta to score on a wild pitch. However, the Falcons retorted to AIC's two with three in the bottom half, as walks and miscues created opportunites that they took advantage of. 

Once again, the Yellow Jackets faced stacked odds, heading into the eighth trailing 8-3. Once again, they defied those odds.

Ramirez led off with a double to left. Edvardsen then flipped the script on Bentley by reaching on an error and taking second on a wild pitch, and Frometa drew another error at first that scored Ramirez. Kiernan Caffrey was hit by a pitch to load the bases, which set up Haker to hit a sacrifice fly to score Edvardsen. Lavelle then doubled to right, pushing Caffrey to third and scoring Frometa.

After an out, Head Coach Nick Callini reached into his bench, using Ryan Lavelle and Tyler Ziemak to pinch hit. Both drew walks, with the latter forcing a run in. That brought Ramirez to the plate again, and he doubled a second time, this time to right, giving AIC a lead as both Lavelles touched the dish. Edvardsen then singled as well, scoring Ramirez and Ziemak, putting AIC up 11-8.

Now it was Bentley's turn to try to rally, and both of the first two Falcons to the plate were hit by pitches. However, Romel Roca then induced a pair of flyouts. A pinch hitter was called upon, and he too took a baseball off the body, putting the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate. Roca won the last battle, however, drawing a popup to first that was caught to end the game.

Daniel Provost, who threw two innings of relief, earned the win, while Roca grabbed his second save of the season. 

AIC returns to NE10 play on the weekend with a three-game set at Adelphi University; a single game will take place Friday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m., with two on the following day beginning at noon.