HARWICH, Mass. – Junior Mike Boulanger picked the perfect time for his first career hit as he drove a one-out, 2-2 pitch to the center field fence in the bottom of the 12th that scored senior Jordan Draude from third with the game-winning run to give the second-seeded Arcadia University baseball team a 4-3 victory in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship Tournament at Whitehouse Field.
 
FOR THE RECORD: The Knights improved to 33-11 for the season after recording their first NCAA tournament victory since 2004. Arcadia, which is making its second-ever NCAA tournament appearance, is now 3-2 all-time in NCAA tournament games. The Lancers fell to 20-21 with the defeat.
 
UP NEXT: Arcadia will next face sixth-seeded Suffolk University later today (Friday), with the first pitch tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m. at Whitehouse Field. The Rams advanced in the winner's bracket with a 4-0 win over third-seeded St. John Fisher.
 
ON THE HILL: Boulanger (3-3) got the win on the mound for the Knights after allowing just two hits while striking out five batters over seven innings of relief work. Senior Joseph Warren got the start for the Knights, but didn't factor in the decision after allowing three runs on seven hits while fanning seven batters through the first five innings.
 
Kyle Sullivan (6-2) took the loss for Worcester State after allowing one run on four hits in his 2.1 innings of relief work. Tyler Barrie allowed three runs on eight hits over nine innings and struck out 11 batters for Lancers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Junior Drew Coisson drove in classmate Nick Cardace with a single through the right side to open the scoring in the bottom of the second before the two teams traded runs in the third to give Arcadia a 2-1 lead. Adam Barry scored on Kevin Larkin's single to right with two outs in the inning, and senior Jordan Draude answered with a double that hit the fence in left center to plate fellow senior Justin Chasmar, who drew a leadoff walk to start the inning.
 
Worcester State took its only lead of the game in the top of the fifth on Mike Ferrara's two-out, two-run blast over the left field fence, but that lead didn't last long as the Knights tied the contest in the bottom of the frame. Chasmar led off the inning with a single to center and eventually scored from third, beating the throw home from Lancer second baseman Kenan Kolanda on a grounder off Draude's bat.
 
That 3-3 score held until the bottom of the 12th, which saw Draude drive a double to center field that was just out of the reach of a diving Jake Ryan to lead off the frame. He moved to third on freshman Phil Pierfy's sacrifice bunt and was able to walk home after Boulanger crushed the game-winning hit over the drawn in outfield in his only plate appearance to end the game. The hit was the first of Boulanger's career in just his sixth career at-bat.
 
ARCADIA AT BAT: Draude finished the night 2 for 6 with two doubles, two runs batted in and a run scored, while Chasmar was 2 for 5 with two runs scored. Cardace was also 2 for 5 with a stolen base and a run scored.
 
WORCESTER STATE AT BAT: Ferrara finished the game 2 for 5 with a two-run homer, while Larkin was 3 for 5 with an RBI. Barry was 2 for 5 with a run scored.