Worcester, Mass. – Pinch hitter Keith Sanchez (Monroe Township, N.J.) blasted a go-ahead three-run homerun to left field in the eighth, capping a four-run rally, lifting visiting Massachusetts Maritime Academy to a thrilling 7-4 win over Clark University on Friday afternoon at Granger Field.

Sanchez's longball sent the Buccaneers to their fourth consecutive win as they improved to 6-4, while the Cougars have now dropped three straight to slip to 4-11.

Zac Cooney pitched (East Bridgewater, Mass.) five excellent innings of relief, allowing just one hit while picking up five strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the year.

After both teams had a runner thrown out at home in the first inning, MMA finally pushed across the game's first run in the fourth inning on a Terrance Mudie (Barnstable, Mass.) sacrifice fly that scored Everett Walsh (Marston Mills, Mass.) who led off the frame with a double.

Clark took the lead with a four-run fifth, highlighted by a Michael Eglow (Delmar, N.Y.) two run single.

Things stayed that way until the Buccaneers mounted their rally to begin the eighth. After Peter Lawrence (Braintree, Mass.) got the first out, he surrendered back-to-back singles to Booby Lee and Walsh and was replaced by Casey Marvell (Niskayuna, N.Y.). Matt Pelletier (Bradford, Mass.) made the score 4-2 with a sacrifice fly to center, setting the stage for Sanchez's heroics.

The visitors tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth when Lee drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Walsh pushed across another on an RBI groundout.

Clark tried to put together a rally of its own in the bottom of the ninth when pinch hitter Dennis Glynn (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) opened up with a single, but Cooney was able to retire the next three batters to secure the win.

Austin Knief (Scarsdale, N.Y.), who came into relieve an injured Jack Kenney (Saco, Maine) after two outs in the first, scattered seven hits and allowed just one earned run in 5.1 innings of solid work.

In addition to Sanchez, Walsh had three hits and two runs scored for the Buccaneers, who also got three hits from leadoff man Bobby Rosano (North Reading, Mass.).

Daniel Lima (Manchester, Conn.) was the only Cougar to record multiple hits, finishing 3-for-5 with a run scored, an RBI and his league-leading tenth stolen base.

Clark will be back in action on Saturday when they host MIT in a New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference doubleheader slated to begin at 11:00 a.m.

MMA, meanwhile, won't return to the diamond until Wednesday when they visit Coast Guard for a 3:30 p.m. start.