BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Senior Brendon Elliot (Brockton, MA) hit for the cycle and drove in eight runs to lead the Bridgewater State College baseball team to an 18-8 victory over UMass Dartmouth this afternoon at BSC's Alumni Park.
The win marked the 400th career coaching victory for Bridgewater State skipper Rick Smith. Smith, who is in his 16th season at the helm of the BSC baseball program, has directed the Bears' to a record of 400-202-4 since taking over the head coaching position in 1994.
With the win, Bridgewater improves to 19-13 overall as the Bears have won eight of their last ten games. UMass drops to 7-22 on the season.
BSC scored seven runs in the first inning with Elliot knocking in a pair with a two-run triple. Elliot belted a two-run homer in the second and added a two-run single in the third as BSC led 12-3 after three innings of play.
Elliot, who was 5-for-6 at the plate, completed the cycle with a double in the seventh inning and knocked in two more runs with an RBI single in the eighth.
All told, Bridgewater banged out 21 hits in the contest. Along with Elliot's five-hit performance, seniors Kelly LaDow (East Falmouth, MA) and David Kiloski (Lowell, MA) and sophomore Brian Medeiros (Brockton, MA) each had three hits apiece. LaDow was 3-for-5 with a double, three runs and an RBI, while Kiloski finished 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. Medeiros went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI.
Also for the Bears, senior Brad Koneski (North Dighton, MA) went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs scored and three RBI, while junior Matt Greenberg (Norwell, MA) finished 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two runs batted in.
Senior right-hander Jeff Sarahs (Whitman, MA) was the beneficiary of all the run support as went seven innings to notch his second win of the season. Sarahs (2-2) allowed four runs on nine hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
Sophomore Matt Ryan (Uxbridge, MA) paced the Corsairs 15-hit attack as he went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, and four runs batted in. He had an RBI double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the ninth.
Also for UMass, senior Mike Mitchell (Boston, MA) finished 3-for-4 with a double, four runs and an RBI, while fellow senior Casey Askeland (Dartmouth, MA) went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and two RBI.
Sophomore right-hander Scott Tibbetts (Hanover, MA) suffered the loss on the mound for the Corsairs.
Bridgewater State hosts Worcester State College in a MASCAC doubleheader on Saturday at 2:00 PM. The Bears need one win on Saturday to secure the second seed for the upcoming MASCAC Tournament. UMass travels to Rhode Island College tomorrow for a Little East Conference game with the Anchormen. First pitch is slated for 3:30 PM.