Relying on Tom Michael and an opportunistic offense, the visiting Beacons baseball team beat Clark University 4-2 Tuesday afternoon.

Michael pitched a complete game, allowing only 2 earned runs while striking out 6 Cougar batters. The Beacons got a much needed boost from the junior right-hander, who took stress off of a taxed bullpen by going the distance in the Beacons’ first game east of the Mississippi.

Following a difficult 3-9 spring trip in Arizona that emptied out the bullpen, the Beacons needed solid innings from Michael. “T pitched extremely well and showed guts,” Coach Brendan Eygabroat said about his starting pitcher. “He can be a dominant arm, and this is only the tip of the iceberg for him.”

Offensively, the Beacons didn’t look like a juggernaut, but they got the job done. Despite managing only 4 hits all afternoon, they manufactured runs, small-ball style. The first run was scored on a Danny Arenas sacrifice fly, while the second came on a heads-up base-running play by outfielder Matt Reich, who scored on a wild pitch from third base to tie the game at 2 late in the game.

The Beacons were resilient in the late innings, scoring two go-ahead runs in the eighth using 2 walks and alert base-running. Catcher Tim Fontaine walked and later scored on an RBI groundout by Reich. When the Cougar first baseman’s attempt to nab Fontaine at the plate went wide, pinch-runner Ryan Oshima alertly advanced to home to score an insurance run for the Beacons.

The Beacons managed to avoid the big inning on defense that plagued the spring trip out West, thanks to Michael’s control and a strong defense that committed only one error. Michael was more accurate against Clark than in his previous two starts, as he only walked one and hit one.

“I worked slower and really tried to stay on top of the ball,” Michael said, explaining his ability to locate better. “Basically, I just relied on my defense, and didn’t try to strike every hitter out.”