Baseball Drops Beanpot Opener to UMass

UPDATED: April 14, 2015, at 2:56 a.m.

­For UMass, the third time was the charm against Harvard.

A four-run fourth inning propelled the Minutemen to a 6-5 win and a spot in the Beanpot Championship. The visiting Crimson (16-16, 5-7 Ivy) had handily beaten UMass (9-11, 7-5 Atlantic 10) in two prior meetings over spring break in Florida, winning the two contests by a combined nine runs.

The loss means that Harvard will be unable to defend last year’s Beanpot title, which the team captured after shutting out the Minutemen in the finals, 3-0.

“Last year, being able to win the Beanpot was definitely a highlight of our season,” said sophomore first baseman Matt Hink. “This year, being the team with the target on our back, it was kind of tough to lose by one. It’s still a cool opportunity to play at Fenway and hopefully we can get out of it with a win.”

The Minutemen’s breakthrough came after the Crimson jumped out to a 3-0 lead following an RBI single by freshman John Fallon and two UMass wild pitches.

Freshman Noah Zavolas, making his first collegiate start, cruised through his first three innings of work for Harvard, only allowing one run while striking out two batters.

But the rookie would allow two singles to start the fourth before giving up a three-run home run to Minutemen right fielder Adam Picard to tie the ballgame.

Zavolas was then replaced by fellow first-year Dylan Combs, but left fielder Dylan Morris’ stealing of home gave UMass a one-run edge. The Crimson was stretched for pitching on Monday after using 10 different arms in the weekend series against Brown.

“It’s definitely difficult for any staff to deal with that many games in that few days, but it just takes each man to step up when he’s called on,” Rupp said. “It is really good for having a new outlook for each game because you have to be quick-minded.”

Harvard fought back after falling behind, picking up a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk and in the sixth on shortstop Drew Reid’s first collegiate home run.

The Crimson struggled to put together a big inning on Monday, something that has been somewhat of a trademark of the team this season. The offense was without starting second baseman and three-hole hitter Jake McGuiggan, who is second on the team in runs and RBIs, due to an injury the senior suffered against Brown.

“[Not having McGuiggan] definitely makes a difference,” Hink said. “While we have had guys stepping up, we didn’t have the best approach at the plate. We chased a lot of pitches out of the zone. You always feel comfortable with him up there.”

Combs started the bottom of the seventh inning but found himself out of the game before the end of the frame. Morris singled to start the inning, when Minutemen leadoff-hitter Kyle Adie drove in the game-tying run and ended Combs’ day.

Freshman Garrett Rupp replaced his classmate with one down in the seventh but uncorked a wild pitch to give UMass a 6-5 lead it would not relinquish. Despite a scoreless eighth inning from Rupp, Harvard was unable to get a run across in its half of the eighth or ninth to extend the game.

“I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to be out there trying to get the team a win,” Rupp said. “Each time you have a good outing, it gives the staff more confidence.”

Fallon doubled to lead off the eighth and advanced to third on a wild pitch, putting pressure on Minutemen pitcher Evan Mackintosh. But the Crimson would fail to take advantage. Left fielder Jack Colton and captain Ethan Ferreira both struck out swinging to end the threat.

Missed opportunities sealed Harvard’s fate at Earl Lorden Field. The Crimson stranded 12 runners on the day, compared to just three on behalf of UMass.

Harvard would strand another runner in the top of the ninth, failing to plate the tying run to force extras. Minutemen sophomore Mike Geannelis worked around a hit-by-pitch to pick up his second save of the season and send UMass to its fourth consecutive Beanpot final.

The loss was Harvard’s fourth in its last six games. The team has played in three consecutive one-run games over the course of the past three days ,winning only one of them.

The Crimson now finds itself in the consolation game for the second time in three years. Combs was tagged with his second loss of the season for Harvard. The left side of the Crimson’s infield combined for four of Harvard’s nine hits and two RBIs. The Crimson’s .500 mark through 32 games is still the team’s best since 2007.

—Staff writer Stephen J. Gleason can be reached at sgleason@college.harvard.edu.