LaRose's Career-High 11 Strikeouts Powers Baseball Past UMass Boston, 5-2, Thursday Night

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Sophomore pitcher Aaron LaRose (Hinesburg, Vt.) delivered a dominant performance on the mound, striking out a career-high 11 batters over six innings to lead the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) baseball team to a 5-2 victory over UMass Boston (UMB) in non-conference action Thursday night at Lake Myrtle Park. With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 6-1 on the season, while the Beacons fell to 2-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ struck first in the opening inning courtesy of a sacrifice fly from freshman infielder Sam Balducci (South Windsor, Conn.), giving the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead.
• UMB responded in the bottom of the frame, scoring two runs to take a 2-1 advantage.
• The Blue Jays quickly answered in the top of the second as sophomore infielder Jack Kane (West Hartford, Conn.) ripped a two-run double into the left-center gap to put USJ back in front, 3-2.
• USJ added two more runs in the third inning. Senior outfielder Ryan Quinn (Middletown, Conn.) drove in a run with an RBI single, and Kane followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk that brought Quinn home to extend the lead to 5-2.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• LaRose turned in a career night on the mound for the Blue Jays. The right-hander tossed six strong innings, allowing just three hits and two runs while striking out 11.
• Kane led the offense with a team-high three RBIs.
• Senior infielder JJ Fox (Killingworth, Conn.) collected three hits in the contest, including the 100th hit of his career with a single to left field in the third inning.
• Junior pitcher Colin Carver (Deep River, Conn.) came on in relief in the seventh inning with UMass Boston threatening to score with runners on second and third with one out. Carver escaped the jam unscathed before sophomore pitcher Marcus Tarfano (Southington, Conn.) nailed down the save to secure the 5-2 victory.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays continue play at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Friday, March 13, taking on UMass Dartmouth in a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 3:45 p.m., with game two slated for approximately 6:15 p.m. at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida.

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