FRANKLIN, Mass. – Senior Luke Fahey (Glastonbury, Conn.) made a statement-worthy return to the lineup on Monday afternoon. The left fielder secured the walk-off hit to propel the Dean College baseball team past Norwich University in a 13-inning spectacle.
The Bulldogs won by final scores of 4-3 and 9-8, respectively, and improved to 18-13 overall (10-8 GNAC). Meanwhile, the Cadets dropped to 10-21 (7-11 GNAC).
 
Notables:
-With the pair of wins, the baseball program officially secured its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason berth in program history. It's also their first postseason berth since becoming an NCAA-sanctioned program.
-The baseball team also broke their program record for total wins in a season since joining the NCAA (18).
-Prior to the game, the Dean College Department of Athletics & Recreation honored the 14 seniors on the baseball roster: JR Salvadore (Barre, Mass.), Styles Hucul (Richmond, Mich.), Tyler Giambra (Prospect, Conn.), Nick Amendolara (Bayville, N.Y.), Kiefer Culligan (South Windsor, Conn.), Jacob Paschetto (East Longmeadow, Mass.), Domenic Brazeau (Warwick, R.I.), Spencer Lichstrahl (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Nick Sawin (South Portland, Maine), Colin Favata (Syosset, N.Y.), L. Fahey, Zach Handfield (Auburn, Mass.), Gavin Goss (Glenwood Landing, N.Y.), and Jomar Angel Soto Castro (Easton, Mass.).
 
GAME ONE: Dean College 4, Norwich University 3
The Basics
WINNING PICHER: D. Brazeau
LOSING PITCHER: Carson Rath
TOTAL TIME: 1:45
 
How it Happened
-Norwich jumped on the board first in the opening inning. Michael Sebasteanski recorded a sacrifice flyout, bringing home Jack Medhurst.
-However, it didn't take the Bulldogs long to respond. Paschetto stayed red hot, delivering an RBI double that scored Favata. It was now tied 1-1 heading into the second inning.
-Brazeau continued to work through the Norwich lineup in the early innings, keeping them scoreless in the second and third innings.
-Dean grabbed their first lead in the bottom of the third. Despite striking out, Lichstrahl reached base on a dropped third strike. In the same action, Favata came around third to score. Dean now led 2-1 going into the fourth.
-In the next half inning, Norwich regained control of the lead. Dillan Garza delivered a two-RBI single, giving the Cadets a 3-2 advantage.
-After scoreless fourth and fifth frames, the Bulldogs found their answer in the sixth. Goss and Lichstrahl reached base via single, putting two runners on. Dylan Altermatt (North Branford, Conn.) then delivered the go-ahead RBI with a single into right field. Dean took the lead, 4-3, going into the final inning.
-Brazeau returned to the mound and shut Norwich down in order. He struck out Medhurst swinging to end the ballgame, giving Dean the 4-3 final victory.


GAME TWO: Dean College 9, Norwich University 8 (13 Innings)

The Basics
WINNING PICHER: Owen Critchley (Dayton, Maine)
LOSING PITCHER: James Vinchetti
TOTAL TIME: 4:15
 
How it Happened
-Norwich scored first once again in game two. Sebasteanski and Medhurst repeated history, joining forces to give Norwich a 1-0 lead.
-Dean responded in the bottom of the second with their first lead of the game. Giambra brought home two runs on a double, scoring both Altermatt and Fahey. Dean now led 2-1 going into the third.
-The Cadets erupted in the top of the third, producing four runs to take a 5-2 advantage. Lussier, Swaine, Ringer and Garza all recorded RBIs off Dean's starter Swain.
-Norwich scored again in the fourth off the second RBI from Trevor Lussier. The game stood at 6-2 going into the bottom half.
-Dean remained scoreless from the third to the sixth inning, seeing just one hit in the stretch.
-However, they cracked the code in the bottom of the seventh inning. They exploded for a four-hit, five run frame. Paschetto kicked off the scoring with an RBI single, forcing Norwich to make a pitching change. Goss then walked to load the bases for the Bulldogs.
-Amendolara then approached the plate, and on one swing of the bat, drove in two RBIs to bring Dean within two runs (7-5).
-Fahey, who had been successful in previous appearances in this game, stepped up and tied the game for Dean. His two-RBI single made it 7-7 going into the top of the eighth.
-After a scoreless top half, the Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. However, they left the bases loaded with a deep flyout.
-With a scoreless ninth inning for both sides, the game went into extra innings. This became the fourth game this season where Dean went into extra innings.
-Reliever Philip Curran (West Springfield, Mass.) had an impressive outing, tossing 7.2 innings while striking out three. His run came to an end in the top of the tenth, where Brazeau re-entered after a complete game in the first match.
-Brazeau shut the door for nearly three full innings, showcasing his extraordinary commitment. However, at the top of the 13^th, Norwich broke the steadfast. An RBI single from Domenic Swaine gave them an 8-7 lead going into the bottom half. Critchley took the place of Brazeau and finished the inning.
-Magic struck in the bottom of the 13^th. Both Paschetto and Goss reached base, putting two runners on. However, pop-ups by Matthew Dutton (Dublin, Ireland) and Amendolara put two outs on the board.
-Then, on a double steal attempt, Norwich's catcher overthrew a pickoff attempt to third base. The ball soared into left field, allowing Paschetto to score and tie the game at eight. Nick Peterson (Plymouth, Mass.), who pinch ran for Goss, advanced to third.
-With the game on the line, Fahey approached the plate and delivered the swing of his career. The senior launched a ball into deep left field, hitting the fence to secure the walk-off run. Dean took the game by a final score of 9-8 and the series 2-0.

Next Up:
-Wednesday, April 22^nd, 3:00PM at Framingham State University (Non-Conference / Framingham, Mass.)
 
For Media Inquiries:
Brett Chaves
Sports Information Director, Dean College Athletics
(508) 541-182
BChaves@dean.edu