Bridgewater State Baseball Team Eliminated From NCAA Tourney

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

MANSFIELD, Conn. -- There was disappointment as soon as the Bridgewater State University baseball season came to a sudden conclusion.

After winning 21 of the previous 23 games, the Bears were knocked out of the double-elimination NCAA Div. 3 New England Regional with a pair of quick losses in less than 24 hours.

As the realization that a 30-15 season was over set in, though, there was a bright side that could still be found.

BSU will be returning seven position players and its designated hitter – all juniors – in 2013.

The 3-2 loss to fourth-seeded Keene State College that sent the Bears back to Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon stung, but there is reason for optimism next season.

“I’m excited,’’ said junior shortstop Trevor Lawson of Easton, who had two hits in the loss to the Owls. “We have a lot of juniors, a lot of younger guys stepping up. I’m looking forward to it.’’

Said junior third baseman Craig Stewart of Brockton, who went 2-for-3 in the season finale: “We’ve got a lot of kids coming back. What happened here will motivate us for next year, and we’ll come back even harder, hopefully.’’

BSU loses left fielder Ian Williams of Taunton and its top two pitchers, Corey Batista and Jim Balboni, who struck out 12 while scattering eight hits in a strong performance against Keene State. He finished with a 20-6 career record, tied for third in career wins at the school.

Those will be significant holes, but the Bears will have plenty of experience when it bids for a third straight trip to the NCAAs next spring.

“This is nothing but experience for them,’’ said coach Rick Smith. “We’ve got to pick up a couple of pitchers, get a couple of extra guys in and we’ll be back again.’’

After leaving 16 runners on base in a 6-2 loss to top-seeded Wheaton College on Wednesday, the Bears stranded 10 more in the defeat to Keene State. Playing without its second-leading hitter, David Pierce of East Bridgewater, who suffered an ankle injury in the regional opener, BSU’s offense was shorthanded.

The Bears got their only two runs in the bottom of the seventh after falling behind, 3-0, when the Owls scored once in the fourth and twice in the sixth, getting three hits in each inning. Keane Costa singled to open the BSU seventh, Stewart walked and John Garabedian singled to load the bases with the runs scoring on a fielder’ choice and an infield hit by Lawson.

BSU had a chance to tie the game in the eighth when Williams was hit by a pitch and went to second on a Jose Palanco sacrifice bunt.

Stewart then singled, his liner going off the glove of a leaping third baseman Kyle Morrill, who slowed the ball down to prevent Williams from getting home with the tying run. The Bears were unable to get a two-out hit to even things up.

“That was tough,’’ said Smith of the inability to get runners home in the two losses. “It was a tough couple of days. We played very well. It’s just at this level, in these earlier rounds, pitching dominates.

“We needed that timely hit, the ball bouncing the right way, and we just didn’t get that. We were in both games. It just didn’t work out. I expected us to go deeper into this tournament, but in no way, shape or form am I angry or upset at the performances.

“I thought every single kid put their best foot forward, represented the university very well and did everything they were supposed to do. There’s no embarrassment losing to a Keene State or a Wheaton. We played well, it just didn’t happen for us.’’