TELEGRAM: Mike DiReda's two home runs power Greyhound baseball past Holy Cross, 5-2

May 1, 2008

By Craig Holt

Worcester Telegram Correspondent

WORCESTER, Mass. --- The Assumption College baseball team is looking to finish strong. Holy Cross, on the other hand, is priming itself for the Patriot League Tournament from May 10-11. Bring the rivals together against that backdrop and you have the makings of an all-around masterpiece.

Such was the case yesterday at sun-soaked Fitton Field, only this time it was the Greyhounds' turn to shine. Former Saint John's standout Mike DiReda walloped two home runs while Holy Name product Mike Baillargeon collected three hits and three RBIs, leading Assumption to a 5-2 comeback victory.

The Greyhounds improved to 18-27 overall, and are 9-20 in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Crusaders, 11-9 in the Patriot League, slipped to 20-26 overall.

DiReda, a junior third baseman from Shrewsbury, went 4-for-4. His homers came on consecutive at-bats. He also had a single and a double.

"This was a good baseball game and a lot of kids played well," Assumption manager George Reidy said. "As a team, we've come together. It's been a year of maturation for us. We lost close games like this early on, but we've been on the other side recently, and we've been getting good pitching. Our starting pitching has been great, the defense has played well, and we've been getting some timely hitting."

DiReda's first home run, which cleared the centerfield fence, got the Greyhounds to within 2-1 in the sixth inning.

Assumption went ahead for good in the seventh when it erupted for two more runs. Senior Scott Boyle singled, and senior Chris DeSimone doubled with two outs. A walk to No. 9 hitter Shawn Frigon, a freshman from St. Peter-Marian, loaded the bases. Baillargeon then slapped a single to left field, knocking in Boyle and DeSimone.

The Greyhounds added single runs in the eighth and ninth innings. DiReda accounted for the eighth-inning run with a leadoff homer. Assumption struck again with two outs in the ninth when Baillargeon doubled home Frigon, who had singled.

Holy Cross went down swinging, threatening in both the eighth and ninth.

Back-to-back singles by freshman Jack Laurendeau and sophomore Matt Perry with two outs in the eighth put runners on first and third. Reidy then replaced starter Jeff Barbale (St. Peter-Marian) with sophomore Andrew Quinn, and the move paid off as the southpaw retired senior Brendan Akashian to end the threat.

The Crusaders, seeded third in the PL tournament, returned home after a two-day, four-game stretch against Navy last weekend in Annapolis, Md.

"This was one of those games where you want to stay sharp, see some pitchers," Holy Cross manager Greg DiCenzo said. "Both teams were kind of feeling each other out over the first 4-5 innings. Then things started to happen. I thought their guy pitched well. They also had some timely two-out hits. Those guys fought and they deserve credit. The biggest thing for us is to get ourselves mentally prepared for next weekend down at the Naval Academy. It's a huge weekend for this program."

The Crusaders took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when cleanup hitter Gil Gomez, a senior, clobbered a two-run homer.