Franklin, Mass.- The Dean College Baseball team split Saturday's season ending double-header with Rivier University, winning the opener 6-3, before falling in the nightcap 4-0. With the split, the Bulldogs solidified their playoff position in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) playoffs, earning a #4 seed and the right to host a first-round playoff game. This is Dean's (20-14, 11-9 GNAC) first trip to the GNAC tournament since joining the conference in 2021. The Bulldogs will host fifth-seeded Colby-Sawyer on Thursday at Longley Field in the first round of the double-elimination playoff tourney.
Game One: Dean 6, Rivier 3
Winning Pitcher: Owen Critchley (Dayton, Maine), 4-0
Losing Pitcher: Ej Baker, 1-1
The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the top half of the first inning, scoring two runs on an RBI single by senior
Spencer Lichstrahl (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) that plated seniors
Gavin Goss (Glenwood Landing, N.Y.) and
Tyler Giambra (Prospect, Conn.). Rivier countered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at 2.
Scoreless action ensued over the course of the next five innings, as
Philip Curran (West Springfield, Mass.) pitched three innings, allowing only the two runs, before giving way to Critchley in the fourth. Critchley pitched six innings, allowing three hits and one earned run, while striking out five.
Dean broke the stalemate in the seventh, scoring
Kyler Lorenz (East Providence, R.I.) on a sacrifice ground out by Nick Amendolora (Bayville, N.Y.). The Raiders responded again, tying the game on a bases loaded walk in the bottom half of the seventh.
The Bulldogs took control in the top of the ninth, scoring three runs. The offense was powered by RBI singles from Case Lachance (Latham, N.Y.), and Giambra, and a sacrifice fly from Amendolora. Critchley stranded a runner at second in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Bulldogs win, 6-3.
Game Two: Rivier 4, Dean 0
Wining Pitcher: Chris Volino, 5-1
Losing Pitcher: Nick Swain (South Portland, Maine), 2-1
Rivier scored three runs in the opening frame, chasing Swain from the game early on three hits, including an RBI single and RBI double. Senior
Domenic Brazeau (Warwick, R.I.) entered in the second, pitching four innings and allowing only one run. The Bulldogs bats struggled to get going throughout the second game, mustering three hits over the course of seven innings. Favata, Amendalora, and senior
Jacob Paschetto (East Longmeadow, Mass.) provided the hits for Dean, with Amendolora contributing a double.
Next Up:
-The Bulldogs are back in action on Thursday when they host Colby-Sawyer in the opening round of the GNAC playoffs. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. at Longley Field.
For Media Inquiries:
Brett Chaves
Sports Information Director, Dean College Athletics
(508) 541-1826
BChaves@dean.edu
