Baseball Edged by Mass. Maritime, 4-3

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. -- Senior Andrew Saari's (Framingham, Mass.) fielder's choice bunt with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning plated the winning run as Massachusetts Maritime used four tallies in its final three at-bats to rally for a 4-3 MASCAC baseball victory over Bridgewater State Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The game, which was postponed yesterday due to fog at Massachusetts Maritime's Commodore Hendy Field, was moved to Bridgewater due to unplayable field conditions in Buzzards Bay and was the completion of a league doubleheader that began yesterday.

The visiting Buccaneers (10-15, 4-8 MASCAC), who were the home team for the contest, sliced a 2-0 deficit in half in the bottom of the sixth when senior Michael Vargas (Framingham, Mass.) led off the frame with a single and scored on junior William Shouldice's (Rutland, Vt.) two-out double.

The host Bears (16-13, 5-5 MASCAC), who tallied single runs in the third and fifth innings, got that run back in the top of the seventh when sophomore John Garabedian (Mansfield, Mass.) laced a one-out single, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore David Pierce (East Bridgewater, Mass.).

Massachusetts Maritime evened matters in the bottom of the frame when senior Greg Wiggin (Marshfield, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a pinch-single by sophomore Zachary Sullivan (Barnstable, Mass.).  Senior Corey Murphy (East Wareham, Mass.) loaded the bases with a bunt single, and Saari's single down the right field line accounted for the second run and kept the bases loaded for Vargas, who drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to force in the tying tally.

Bridgewater State junior Matt Melia (East Sandwich, Mass.) came on with the bases loaded and nobody out and to record three outs, including a force at home on a safety squeeze by senior Nick Levitre (Grafton, Mass.).

The Bears had the potential go-ahead run reach with one out in the top of the eighth when junior Dave Billotte (Norton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch, but freshman Nick Thomas (Brockton, Mass.) came on for the Buccaneers to induce a double play grounder.

Sophomore Aram Mulhern (Taunton, Mass.) started the winning rally for Massachusetts Maritime by being hit with a pitch on a 1-2 count, and after Wiggin drew a walk, freshman Devin Rudolph's (Carver, Mass.) sacrifice bunt moved runners into scoring position.  Murphy was walked intentionally to load the bases for Saari, whose bunt up the first base line plated freshman pinch-runner Brendan O'Kane (Pocasset, Mass.) with the deciding tally.

Murphy was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate as part of a nine-hit attack in the triumph for the Buccaneers, as Thomas picked up the win in relief to improve to 3-3 on the season.  Sophomore Tyler Genereux (Duxbury, Mass.) went the first six on the mound for Massachusetts Maritime, allowing seven hits and an earned run while fanning two in the no-decision.

Junior Joshua Ferreira (Fall River, Mass.) was also 3-for-3 at the plate and combined with Garabedian for five of Bridgewater State's nine hits in the setback, as the Bears got on the board in the third when junior Corey Batista (Fall River, Mass.) single and scored on an error and again in the fifth when Billotte led off with a single and later scored on a two-out error.

Melia suffered the setback on the hill to fall to 1-2 for the hosts, as senior Brian Guillotte (New Bedford, Mass.) allowed seven hits and was charged with all three runs while fanning eight over the first six-plus innings of work.

Massachusetts Maritime travels to Brockton, Mass. on Thursday afternoon to take on Newbury in a non-league outing that begins at 3:30 p.m., while Bridgewater State hosts Western New England in a non-league contest on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater, Mass. beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Courtesy of Jim Seavey, Mass. Maritime SID