BOSTON – Suffolk baseball staged a huge comeback Thursday afternoon, one of the Rams best in recent history, battling back from a nine-run deficit to take down Beantown rival UMass Boston, 17-15, at Monan Park.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 17 | UMass Boston 15
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-18) | UMass Boston (13-11) 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Jack Mihlahick worked a lead-off walk and stole second to get into scoring position in time for Cole Hilliard to bring him home on a single to right field, which gave the Rams an early 1-0 edge. 
• The combination of a Suffolk error, three hit by pitches and one walk allowed the Beacons to grab the lead, 3-1, in the bottom of the first.  
• The teams exchanged runs in the second to keep the margin at a pair through two, 4-2. Sebastian Lampert doubled and Ross Treubig traded places with him with a double of his own to be responsible for Suffolk's scoring in the second.
• The Beacons charged ahead with one run in the third and fourth, respectively, and matched the amount of runs to the inning number in the fifth to put the blue-and-gold in a nine-run, 11-2 hole. 
•  A Rams response came in the top of the sixth. A bases loaded walk by Stephen Nardelli ignited the comeback.  A sac fly by Vasili Scangas put the second out on the boar, but a wild pitch followed by a one-run base hit by Mihalchik forced UMass Boston to make a change on the hill as Ben Cherry came in to shove for Kyle McLaughlin. Colin Flynn doubled to left field to plate Nardelli before Mihalchik scored on a wild pitch. Flynn made his way in courtesy of Hilliard to trim the deficit to three, 11-8. 
• Following a scoreless seventh, a marathon eighth ensued. With Rams on second and third behind a Beacons' error, Mihalchik single and UMB wild pitch, a productive ground out by Flynn brought the first run of the frame in. Suffolk did not stop there as Hilliard collected one RBI with a double down the left field line before he scored courtesy of Sam Armbruster's single. to even the game at 11-all. The Rams continued to climb back with a one-run double by Luke Thornton and one-run single off Nardelli's bat that gave the blue-and-gold a 13-11 lead.
• The back-and-forth battle carried into the home half of the eighth as UMB used five hits and one walk to regain the advantage, 15-13. 
• A moon shot to left field by Mihalchik led off the ninth and brought the Rams within one. Flynn followed with a base hit to short and Hilliard's double pushed the tying run in Flynn 90 feet away. Armbruster knocked the ball into play and the Beacons went for the force out at the plate, but Flynn slid under the tag to level the playing field at 15-all. Owen Ellsworth retired the next two Rams but did not do the same to pinch hitter Mike Mullaney, who laced a triple to left center that cleared the bases and sent Suffolk ahead 17-15.
• Colin McNeal struck out the side to lock up the Rams victory.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• In a staff day, McNeal recorded the win for Suffolk on the hill with 1.1 innings of scoreless, hitless relief with three crucial punchouts. 
• Ben Cassavoy started and allowed three runs, all unearned, on two walks with one K through 1.0 inning. 
• Nolan Drew (1 R, 2 H, 1 K), Jack La Natra (1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K), Nick Rubin (1 R, 2 H, 1 K) and Jonathan Marcotte (1 BB, 1 K) all threw 1.0 inning out of the pen.
• Cam Martin (5 R, 3 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 1 K, 01. IP), Joey Smith (1 H, 1 BB, 1.2 IP) and Jackson Garcia (4 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 0.2 IP) threw for Suffolk as well. 
• Ellsworth took the loss for the Beacons as he allowed four runs on four hits and one strikeout in 1.0 inning of relief. 
• UMB's started Ethan Nowak compiled a two-run, four-hit, three-walk, four-strikeout effort over 5.0 innings. 
• McLaughlin (5 R, 2 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 0.2 IP), Cherry ((1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0.1 IP), Dowd Ritter (1 H, 1.0 IP), Jack Cangelosi (4 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 0.1 IP) and Hunter Ward (1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0.2 IP) all came in for UMB. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Suffolk's 17 hits were scattered across nine bats. 
• Hilliard went 4-for-6 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.
• Mihalchik went 3-for-4 with home bomb, two RBI, four runs scored, two walks and one stolen base.
• Flynn registered three hits, two of which were doubles, two RBI and two runs. 
• Lampert logged two hits, including one double, three walks and two runs. 
• Thorton scored twice to go along with one hit, a double, and one RBI. 
• Armbruster added two runs, two RBI and one hit. 
• Mullaney brought in two runs on his lone hit, a triple. 
• Treubig recorded one RBI and one hit, a double.
• Nardelli notched two RBI, one hit, one run and one walk. 
• Scangas supplied one sac fly, one RBI and one run. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk snapped a four-game skid against UMass Boston to move to 26-19 all-time against the Beacons.
• The win was the Rams' first over UMB since April 8, 2002, an 8-5 decision.
• Mihalchik hit the first homer of his collegiate career. He produced career-highs in hits (3) and runs scored (4).
• Flynn matched a career-high in hits (3) and doubles (2). 
• Hilliard contributed a personal-best in hits (4), doubles (2) and RBI (3).
• Lampert walked a career-high three times and tied a career-high two runs scored. 
• Mullaney tripled for the first time in his Suffolk career and matched a career-best two RBI. 
• Nardelli recorded a career-high two RBI.
• Mihalchik (6 games, 12 hits), Flynn (2 games, 5 hits), Hilliard (3 games, 6 hits), Armbruster (3 games, 5 hits), Thornton (3 games, 6 hits), Lampert (2 games, 4 hits) 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk returns to its Conference of New England (CNE) calendar Saturday, April 11 when it heads to Hartford for a twin bill. Game one has a 12:00 p.m. first pitch.