THE BASICS:

-Score: Mansfield 6, Assumption 5 (Game One); Mansfield 3, Assumption 0 (Game Two)

-Records: Assumption (1-3); Mansfield (3-4)

-Location: Cary, N.C. (USA Baseball Complex)

-The Lead: The Assumption College baseball team dropped a pair of games to Mansfield today in Cary, North Carolina, falling in game one 6-5, before faltering in game two 3-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

GAME ONE

- Junior Mike Curtis (Wilmington, Mass. / Wilmington) started game one for Assumption, pitching four innings while surrendering five runs (four earned) on six hits, a walk and three strikeouts. Sophomore Mike Keinz (North Branford, Conn. / Notre Dame) came on in relief and tossed three innings of one run ball.

- Mansfield jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, using three hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch to do their damage. Ryan Paige produced three runs on a bases clearing triple to get the scoring started.

- In the bottom half of the first, sophomore Alex Richardson (Rehoboth, Mass. / Bishop Feehan) led off with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. After classmate Hunter Tralli (Berlin, Conn. / Northwest Catholic) walked, junior Andrew Jaehnig (Quincy, Mass. / Boston College) hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield to score Richardson from third. Tralli then took advantage of a wild pitch to take second and third base, before senior Jake Byrne (Grafton, Mass. / Saint John's) grounded out to score Tralli to make the score 4-2.

- Mansfield tacked another run onto their lead in the fourth inning, before Jaehnig singled in the fifth to score both Tralli and Richardson to pull within one run (5-4).

- After the Mountaineers padded their lead in the top of the seventh (6-4), Assumption stepped to the plate for the final time looking to walk-off. Richardson got on base with one out after being hit by a pitch, Tralli followed with a walk and Jaehnig laced a single to give the Hounds bases loaded with one out. Byrne subsequently grounded out to the shortstop to score Richardson to pull the Hounds within one run (6-5), but Mansfield was able to escape the jam and end game one with a win. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

GAME TWO

- Junior Kyle Chudoba (Oxford, Conn. / Oxford) got the start in the second game of the doubleheader for the Hounds, pitching 4.1 innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, two walks and three punch-outs. Freshman Ben Lambert (Saco, Maine / Thornton Academy) made his collegiate debut on the mound and tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, giving up just one hit to go with two walks and two strikeouts.

- Chudoba recorded the first two outs of the first inning before running into a little bit of trouble, allowing three straight base runners as Assumption fell into an early 1-0 hole.

- Assumption went down in order in the first and the second before threatening in the third inning. Freshman Jared Brescia (Brentwood, N.H. / Exeter) and junior Mike Schmidt (Jackson, N.J. / Jackson Memorial) hit back-to-back one out singles to put men on first and second base, but the Hounds hit into a double play to end the inning.

- Mansfield score twice more in the third and fifth inning to give them a 3-0 lead over Assumption. In the bottom of the seventh innings, Byrne singed to lead off the inning. Sophomore Kevin Quinlivan (Shrewsbury, Mass. / St. John's) then walked to put two men on base with no outs. After sophomore Trevor McQuade (Westwood, Mass. / Xaverian) hit into a fielder's choice to reach base, the Hounds were put down in order to end the game. 

UP NEXT:

-Assumption returns to action on Friday, March 3, as the Hounds open their spring break trip in Florida with a doubleheader against Rollins and Nyack College.

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