Greyhound baseball sweeps past Saint Rose to finish second in Northeast-10 Conference; Mike Baillargeon ties career hit mark!

May 3, 2009


Assumption 5, Saint Rose 4

Assumption 6, Saint Rose 0

ALBANY, NY --- Junior outfielder DEREK MIGRANTS (Ayer, MA/Ayer) knocked across the biggest run in many years for Assumption College baseball with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly as the Greyhounds edged the College of Saint Rose, 5-4, in the first game of a doubleheader here SUNDAY.

The victory assured the Greyhounds of a 20-9-1 Northeast-10 Conference record and a second-place finish in the league standings. They will now draw a bye in the first-round of the playoffs. The Final Four of the conference tournament will be played Friday, Saturday, Sunday at regular-season champion Franklin Pierce University.

Northeast-10 Conference baseball playoffs:

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

No. 6 Massachusetts Lowell at No. 3 Southern Connecticut, time TBA

No. 5 New Haven at No. 4 Bentley, time TBA

Friday, May 8, 2009 at Franklin Pierce University (Rindge, NH)

winner of Massachusetts Lowell-Southern Connecticut vs. Assumption, time TBA

winner of New Haven-Bentley vs. Franklin Pierce, time TBA

tournament continues Saturday and Sunday

In the second game, a non-conference game, the Greyhounds got four hits from senior third baseman MIKE DI REDA (Shrewsbury, MA/Saint John's) and a strong pitching performance from freshman righthander FRANK FLYNN (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) en route to a 6-0 victory. Flynn is now 5-1 in his first season with the Greyhounds.

The Greyhounds overall record of 30-17-1 marks only the second 30 win season in their history and just one win short of the 31-12 mark set in 1990. The last time the team was in the conference playoffs was the 2000 championship game.

Also, in the process, senior second baseman MIKE BAILLARGEON (Worcester, MA/Holy Name) stroked four more hits in the doubleheader (three in the second game) to tie the Greyhounds' career hit record of 257 currently co-held by Chris Madsen (1997-2000).

In the important first game, the Greyhounds scored the game-winner in the top of the ninth as sophomore shortstop SHAWN FRIGON (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) reached on an error and advanced into scoring position on an errant pickoff attempt. He moved to third base on a wild pitch before Migrants brought him home on a sacrifice fly.

The Greyhounds moved to a 1-0 lead as Baillargeon singled across senior outfielder STEVE SCANNELL (Worcester, MA/Burncoat) in the third inning. They made it 2-0 on a Frigon infield roller in the fifth inning as sophomore outfielder JOSH DUFRESNE (Auburn, MA/Auburn) scored after reaching on an infield hit. Scannell is now hitting .425.

After the Golden Knights scored four times in the seventh inning, the Greyhounds came right back to tie it 4-4 in the top of the eighth. A bases loaded walk to DiReda and a sacrifice fly by Dufresne scored the runs setting the stage for the decisive ninth.

Sophomore righthander JOE MARTINI (Arlington, MA/Arlington) scattered five hits in a 6.2-inning stint as starter before Hounds' junior closer TIM DUPUIS (Suffield, CT/Suffield) slammed the door with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief with three strikeouts to improve his record to 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA.

In game two, Baillargeon singled across the first run and what would prove to be the game-winner in the fifth inning and the Hounds exploded for four more insurance runs in the seventh. Migrants contributed a two-run single (he now has 58 RBI, just two short of the Greyhounds' single-season mark of 60 held by Dan McGowan ?00) and DiReda added a two-run double (he now has 98 career RBI). Baillargeon added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Junior righthander DUSTIN WIRZBURGER (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) and sophomore rightthander DAVE MC LEAN (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) pitched three innings of scoreless relief.


Click here for ASSUMPTION-SAINT ROSE Game 1 box score

Click here for ASSUMPTION-SAINT ROSE Game 2 box score