Baseball Falls to Suffolk, 8-3

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Suffolk University baseball team posted an 8-3 victory over host Bridgewater State University on Thursday afternoon at Alumni Park.  The game was stopped after 6 1/2 innings of play due to darkness.

Suffolk improves to 11-2 with the non-conference win. The Rams were considered the home team and batted last in the game which was originally to be played at Adams Field in Quincy. Bridgewater falls to 6-6-1 on the season.

The Rams scored all the runs they would need with a five-run second inning as the visitors took advantage of some shaky Bridgewater pitching. After a leadoff single by James McConville (Medford, Mass.), six straight batters reached via a walk or hit by pitch which resulted in four runs. The final run of the frame scored on an RBI ground out.

Suffolk would add a run in the third on an RBI double by Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.) and another in the fourth on a run-scoring single off the bat of Justin Knight (Great Meadows, N.J.). Knight would knock in the Rams' eighth run with an RBI double in the sixth inning.

Bridgewater had taken a 2-0 lead in the top off the first with all the damage coming with two outs. Three successive singles by David Pierce (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Keane Costa (Fairhaven, Mass.) and Craig Stewart (Brockton, Mass.) plated the first run of the inning. After a walk to Nicholas White (Bellingham, Mass.) loaded the bases, Matt Barsaleau (Holland, Mass.) would drive in Costa with the second run of the frame on an infield single.

Steve Chamberland (Bristol, Conn,) picked up the win on the mound for the Rams as he worked the first 5 1/3 innings. Chamberland (2-0) allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and four walks while striking out six. Cal Carroll (Methuen, Mass.) earned his second save of the season as he came on with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth and recorded the last five outs.

McConville, Knight and Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) led the Rams' ten-hit attack as they notched two hits apiece.

Joseph Sever (Brockton, Mass.) suffered the loss on the mound for the Bears. Adam Mullen (Fairhaven, Mass.) worked the final five innings in relief as he allowed three runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Tory Buck (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) led the BSU offense as he went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored a run.

In upcoming action, Bridgewater opens Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play on Friday afternoon as the Bears travel to Westfield State University for a noontime doubleheader with the Owls.

Notes: The two teams combined for 19 free passes on 13 walks and six hit batters...There were 291 pitches thrown in the darkness-shortened game.