Courtesy of Oswego Sports Information
HARWICH, Mass. – The second-seeded Oswego State baseball team secured its second-straight trip to Appleton, Wisc. for the College World Series by claiming the 2018 NCAA Championship New England Regional with a 10-4 victory over UMass Boston on Sunday afternoon at Whitehouse Field. Oswego (30-12) has now won seven contests in a row and has reached the 30-win plateau for the third-consecutive year.
Following the Laker triumph, Ryan Enos was named the regional's Most Valuable Player while being joined by on the All-Tournament team by Kevin Hylas, Mike Dellicarri, and Robert Donnelly. Enos – a freshman – was 10-for-18 in the four games with five runs and four RBI while anchoring a solid defensive effort by Oswego at the hot corner.
On Sunday, the Lakers got all it would need in the first two innings. Oswego busted out of the gates with a four-run first frame before tacking on three in its second at-bat. The Beacons would score three runs over the next two innings but a three-run Laker seventh all but sealed the win. In the seventh, the heart of the Oswego order ordered up three doubles, back-to-back-to-back. Dellicarri, John Barnes and Myles Kutscher each notched two-baggers, with Kutscher, eventually scoring on a balk and then a wild pitch.
The Lakers needed just two arms to close out the regional, starting with Nick Demarco. DeMarco tossed the first five frames, scattering seven hits and allowing just two earned runs. Freshman Nick Antonello threw the final four innings, fanning four Beacon batters, surrendering just three hits and one run. DeMarco collected the victory to stay a perfect 4-0 on the year while Antonello picked up his second save.
Enos and Brandon Nicholson finished with multiple-hit games, with the former going 3-for-5 with two runs scored while the latter was 2-for-4 with a two-run blast over the left field fence. Joining Nicholson with two RBI on the day was Hylas and Eli Holton.
Oswego now awaits the conclusion of the other seven regionals to find out who will join them in Appleton for the World Series. Action will begin on Friday. More information will be released at oswegolakers.com as it becomes available.
