AUBURNDALE, FL – The University of Scranton baseball team finished their spring break trip winning five of six games as they defeated  The University of Massachusetts Boston 8-3 today at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Fl.

The Basics

• Final Score: Scranton– 8, University of Massachusetts Boston – 3
• Records: Scranton (6-5), University of Massachusetts Boston (8-3)

How it Happened

• Scranton got on the board in the first inning when junior John Heitzman singled home sophomore Jared Cassella to put the Royals in front 1-0.
• The Royals added a pair of runs in the second to extend their lead to 3-0. With sophomore Jake Lopez on second and junior Conor Campbell on first after back-to-back walks to begin the inning, freshman Evan Laub bunted the runners over and Lopez came home to score on a double play. Casella then singled to center field to drive in Campbell.
• Senior Jake Elston singled to lead off the top of the third and then scored on a Heitzman double to extend Scranton's lead to 4-0. After senior Pat Coyne reached on an infield single that pushed Heitzman to third base, Heitzman came home to score on a wild pitch, and two batters later, Coyne scored on an RBI single from Campbell as Scranton grabbed a 6-0 advantage.
• The Beacons finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning after their first baseman singled home a run, and one batter later a second run scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the Royals' lead to 6-2.
• Casey added another run for the Royals with an RBI single to drive in Lopez, making the Scranton lead 7-2 in the sixth. The Royals tacked on another run when Lopez singled home Elston in the top of the seventh inning.
• An infield ground out plated the third run of the game for the Beacons in the bottom of the seventh inning, but that was all they did for the rest of the game as junior Ryan Boyd pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts to shut the door and finish off the 8-3 win for the Royals.

Top Performers

• Heitzman went 3-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
• Lopez tallied two hits, one RBI and two runs scored.
• Freshman Chris Correll tossed five innings, allowing just two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in his first collegiate start. 

Up Next

• The baseball team is back in action with a double header on Saturday against Elizabethtown, with first pitch for game one set for 12:00 p.m. at Volpe Field in Scranton, Pa.