Balboni, Batista Lead Baseball to Doubleheader Sweep of Westfield

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Behind the solid pitching of seniors Jim Balboni (Townsend, Mass.) and Corey Batista (Fall River, Mass.), the Bridgewater State University baseball team swept visiting Westfield State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park. 

The Bears blanked the owls in the opener and completed the sweep with a 2-1 victory in 11 innings in game two.

Bridgewater improves to 14-11 (3-1 MASCAC) with the pair of wins, while Westfield falls to 9-12 (2-2 MASCAC).

Balboni (3-3) hurled a complete game, two-hit shutout in the opener.  He walked two, struck out ten and allowed just one base runner to reach second.

The Bears jumped ahead with a four-run second inning on an RBI double by Trevor Lawson (Easton, Mass.) and a two-run single off the bat of Keane Costa (Fairhaven, Mass.) Costa would score the fourth run of the frame on a wild pitch.  Bridgewater added a single run in the third taking advantage of a pair of Owl errors.  Jose Polanco's (Lawrence, Mass.) bases loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth scoring Costa accounted for the final run of the game.

Costa was the only batter of the game with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.

Westfield senior left-hander Roman Mondalto (Amesbury, Mass.) took the loss for the Owls on the hill as he worked the first five innings.  Mondalto (2-1) gave up five runs (two earned) on five hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. He also hit a batter.

Batista (3-3) went all 11 innings in game two to pick up the win as he scattered ten hits, did not walk anyone and struck out 11. He threw 119 pitches, 83 for strikes.

The Bears walked off with the win in the bottom of the 11th in somewhat unconventional fashion.  Costa led off the frame with a base hit through the left side and, two outs later, moved to second on a bunt single by Tory Buck (Shelburne Falls, Mass.).  John Garabedian (Mansfield, Mass.) followed with a swing and a miss on strike three but the wild pitch got past the Westfield catcher who compounded the miscue by throwing wildly over the first baseman's head allowing Costa to score the winning run.

Bridgewater had taken a 1-0 lead in the third as Sean Riley (Fairhaven, Mass.) led off the frame with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Ian Williams' (Taunton, Mass.) sacrifice fly.

Westfield tied the game on a pair of doubles by Kevin Greene (Worcester, Mass.) and Andrew Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass.) in the sixth.  The Owls had a glorious chance to push across the go ahead run in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with one out.  Batista, however, struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

Mike Molta (Nantucket, Mass.) went the first eight innings for the visitors and did not figure in the decision.  Molta allowed a run on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.  Bret Siflinger (Framingham, Mass.) was saddled with the loss as he worked 2 2/3 innings in relief of Molta.  Siflinger gave up one unearned run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout.

Buck went 3-for-5 at the plate to pace the BSU offense in game two.  Polanca reached safely four times in five plate appearances with a pair of singles and two walks.

Nick Champeau (Southbridge, Mass.) was 3-for-3 for the Owls while Greene and Kelly added two hits apiece.