Posted: Apr 07, 2026
EAST BOSTON – Suffolk baseball snapped a four-game skid thanks to Cole Hilliard's a one-run double in the bottom of the 10th to send the Rams to a 7-6 Conference of New England (CNE) victory over Western New England Tuesday afternoon at East Boston Memorial Park. The graduate student's extra base hit broke a 6-all tie that saw the score even up in the ninth inning after the blue-and-gold held onto an advantage for most of the action.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 7 | Western New England 6
RECORDS: Suffolk (3-18, 2-5 CNE) | Western New England (10-12, 3-4 CNE)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The teams exchanged three runs in the first frame. Back-to-back base hits by Jack Mihalchik and Colin Flynn put both runners in scoring position. A throwing error by Western New England's short stop allowed Sam Armbruster to reach safely and bring the first Ram of the day in. Luke Thornton collected a RBI on a productive ground out to third before Noah Greco's double down the left field line plated the tying run in Armbruster.
- Suffolk snuck in front in the bottom of the third. Armbruster laced a one-out double down the right field line and scored thanks to Thornton's single in nearly the same spot to give the host a 4-3 advantage.
- Insurance came for the blue-and-gold in the home half of the seventh as Sebastian Lampert's single through the right side brought in Thornton, who tripled to right center, to pad the margin to a pair, 5-3.
- WNE's bats stayed quiet over the next six innings, but the Golden Bears made things interesting in the top of the eighth when John McDevitt came in to deal. The Rams reliever found himself in danger when a pair of Golden Bears in scoring position with two outs and a full count on Tyler Waterbury. The right-handed junior fanned WNE's short stop looking to keep the two-run lead in the blue-and-gold's favor.
- Jack Lewis retired Suffolk's side to send the game into the top of the ninth with the Rams ahead 5-3.
- The Golden Bears made things interesting in the ninth as pinch hitters Andrew Flores and Alex Grenier singled to put runners in the corners with no outs. Jack Gamache singled to left center to get the gap down to one, which brought Jack Raimo in for the Rams. WNE's continued as a sac fly tied the game, before Corey Kilroy's single up the middle gave the visitors the lead, 6-5.
- Singles by Armbruster and Thornton knocked one-out singles and moved over on a wild pitch to put a pair of Rams in scoring position for Will Robbins. The sophomore brought in the tying run on a ground out to second to send the game into extras.
- The first two WNE batters in the 10th knocked singles and a loud out to right moved them into better scoring position, but Raimo escaped the frame with no damage to keep things even at 6-all.
- Unlike the Golden Bears, Suffolk's first two hitters in the bottom of the 10th rolled into ground outs to put two outs on the board. Flynn managed to keep the frame going as he singled to center field before Hilliard put on the hero cape with a ball just inside fair territory in right to send Suffolk to victory.
PITCHERS PICTURE
- Raimo registered the win as he shoved 2.0 innings of scoreless relief with four hits allowed and one strikeout.
- Meehan finished allowed three runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts, one looking, in 7.1 innings.
- McDevitt gave up three runs on three hits and one walk with one backwards K in 0.2 innings.
- WNE's starter let up four runs, two earned, on eight hits and two walks with four punchouts in 4.0 innings.
- Lewis logged a three-run, six-hit, one-strikeout performance over 5.2 innings out of the Golden Bears' pen.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Hilliard's heroic hit was the only hit for the first baseman on the day to go along with the game-winning RBI.
- Thornton went 3-for-5 with one triple, two RBI and one run scored.
- Armbruster added three runs, two hits, including one double, one RBI, and one stolen.
- Flynn talled two runs and two hits.
- Mihalchik recorded two hits, one run and one stolen base.
- Greco chipped in one hit, a double, one RBI and one stolen base.
- Lampert went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
- Robbins brought in the game-tying run.
- Vasili Scangas rounded out the Rams hits with one to his credit, as well as one swiped bag.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk moved to 24-25 all-time against Western New England.
- The Rams snapped a two-game skid versus the Golden Bears.
- The blue-and-gold moved to 6-13 in the Anthony Del Prete era against WNE.
- Suffolk and WNE went into extra innings for the first time since April 7, 2007 when the Rams bested the Golden Bears 7-6 in eight innings in a scheduled seven-inning tilt.
- Thornton produced a career-high three hits and matched a personal-best two RBI.
- Scangas (2 games, 2 hits), Greco (2 games, 3 hits), Thornton (2 games, 5 hits), Armbruster (2 games, 4 hits), Hilliard (2 games, 2 hits) and Mihalchik (5 games, 9 hits) all extended their hit streaks.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk heads across town Thursday, April 9 for a Beantown battle at UMass Boston at 3:00 p.m.
