WATERTOWN, MASS. - The Albertus Magnus College baseball team suffered a pair of hard-fought losses to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival Lasell University on Sunday afternoon at Victory Field. The Lasers took game one by a score of 8-2, before securing the nightcap with a 12-11 victory.

Junior Jason Sullivan (Meriden, Conn.) finished the conference doubleheader with a combined four hits to go along with four RBI and two runs scored. Along with Sullivan, Joe Matthews (Anaheim, Calif.), Matt Warren (Wolcott, Conn.), Sean Jefferson (West Haven, Conn.), and Nhasean Murphy (Manchester, Conn.) each tallied a multi-hit game in the nightcap.  

THE BASICS
FINAL (G1): Lasell 8 | Albertus Magnus 2
FINAL (G2): Lasell 12 | Albertus Magnus 11
RECORDS: Albertus (0-11, 0-2 GNAC) | Lasell (4-8, 2-0 GNAC) 
LOCATION: Victory Field  

HOW IT HAPPENED - Game 1

After two scoreless innings, Lasell finally broke through in the bottom of the third as the Lasers scored five runs off of five hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles from Tyler DiNezza and Griffin Ferreira, to take the early 5-0 lead over the Falcons. 

Albertus countered the Lasers' five-run cushion with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to three, 5-2. Warren led off the stanza with his second walk of the game before advancing to second off a single from Sullivan. A Matt Silverstein (Shelton, Conn.) walk loaded the bases for Jefferson, who struck out swinging, putting one-out on the board. Ron Losacano (Old Lyme, Conn.) came up big for the Falcons as the right-fielder followed up with an RBI single to center field driving in Warren and Sullivan. However, back-to-back outs for the Falcons ended the inning and stranded a runner on third. 

Despite a pitching change for the Falcons, Lasell was able to tack on another run in the bottom of the fourth to increase its lead to four, 6-2. With one out, the Lasers loaded the bases as DiNezza recorded his second RBI of the game after being walked by Ike Flannery (Wethersfield, Conn.). Bases remained loaded for the hosts, but a strike-out and a groundout shut down the offensive attack. 

Lasell continued to swing the bat as the hosts plated a run in the bottom of the fifth and a run in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding six-run lead, 8-2. 

The Falcons threatened in the top of the seventh inning. Matthews led off the stanza with a walk, before advancing to second on a passed ball. The Lasers recorded two quick outs before Sullivan came to the plate and roped a double into the right-field corner that scored Matthews from second. The Lasers' Tim Coakley retired the final hitter to preserve the 8-3 Lasell victory.   

TOP PERFORMERS  

• WP: Matthew Fletcher (1-2) - 5.0 Innings | 2 Hits | 2 Runs | 4 Walks | 8 Strikeouts  
• LP: Tyler Baldwin (0-3) - 3.1 Innings | 7 Hits | 6 Runs | 2 Walks | 4 Strikeouts
• Sullivan led the Falcons at the plate with two hits to go along with a run scored and an RBI.
• Losacano finished with a team-leading two RBIs.

HOW IT HAPPENED - Game 2

Neither team was able to get anything going in the first inning. Lasell starter CJ Mills held the Falcons scoreless in the top half of the first before Silverstein returned the favor in the bottom of the first. 

The Falcons put two on to start the second before Mills slammed the door and retired the next three hitters to keep the visitors off the scoreboard. Silverstein matched Mills with a scoreless second inning, striking out the final two hitters of the inning to keep the score knotted at zero. 

Murphy finally got the Falcons going in the third inning, launching a double down the left-field line. Murphy quickly advanced to third on a passed ball, before Matthews lasered a double down the right-field line to score Murphy from third for the first run of the game. Arent capitalized on an error by the Lasers but was thrown out trying to steal second. Matthews took advantage of the caught stealing, breaking for home, and sliding in safely for the second Falcons' run of the game. 

Lasell countered in the bottom half of the third, hanging a four-spot on the board to double its lead, 4-2. The inning was highlighted by a two-out, three-RBI triple from Baumann.

Neither team was able to add to its advantage in the fourth inning, and the teams transitioned to the fifth inning, with the Lasers still holding their 4-2 lead.

The Falcons' offense exploded in the fifth inning, as the blue-and-white hung a five-spot on the board to take a 7-4 lead. Murphy led off the inning with a triple into the right-field corner, before Matthews followed with a walk. A Warren hit by pitch loaded the bases for Sullivan, who promptly drove a base hit into center field to score both Murphy and Matthews. A double steal put runners on second and third for Jefferson with two outs. Jefferson wasted no time and launched a towering moonshot over the right-center field wall for a three-run home run. 

The Lasers responded with their own crooked inning in the bottom half of the frame, scoring four runs to re-take the lead, 8-7. The Falcons were not deterred, scoring another pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. A Murphy hit by pitch and Matthews walk put runners on first and second with one out. Back-to-back singles from Warren and Sullivan scored Murphy and Matthews to regain the lead for the Falcons 9-8. 

The Lasers responded yet again, scoring four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to re-take the lead 12-9 heading into the seventh and final inning. 

The Falcons battled mightily in the seventh. Back-to-back singles from Jefferson and Shawn Smith (Shelton, Conn.) put runners on first and second for Albertus. A pop-up, a strikeout, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third for the Falcons with two outs. Matthews stepped to the plate and didn't disappoint, slashing a line drive single into center field to score the run and cut the deficit to two, 12-10. A walk to Arent loaded the bases for Warren, who quickly turned on a fastball and pulled it down the right-field line to plate Smith and trim the lead to one, 12-11. The Lasers halted the damage from there, inducing a pop-out to end the game.

TOP PERFORMERS

• WP: Vaun Larisa (2-0) - 1.2 Innings | 2 Runs | 6 Hits | 1 Walk | 2 Strikeouts
• LP: Alan Stinson (0-1) - 0.1 Innings | 4 Runs | 1 Hit | 2 Walks
• Jefferson led the Falcons' attack with three hits to go along with three RBIs and a run scored.
• Along with Jefferson, Sullivan recorded three RBIs.
• Murphy and Matthews posted a team-leading three runs scored.
• Warren recorded a season-high two RBI as well as tied his season-best in hits with two.
• Silverstein set a new season-high in strikeouts with five. 

UP NEXT
The Falcons return to the diamond on Wednesday, March 30 with a road showdown against the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University. The nine-inning game is scheduled for 4:00 PM.