Baseball Drops Pair of Games to Saint Scholastica

FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader against The College of Saint Scholastica on Monday afternoon at Lawnwood Park in Fort Pierce, Florida.

The Saints (3-1) shutout the Bears (0-4) in game one, 4-0, and completed the sweep with a 4-2 victory in game two.

In the opener, Padraic Getchell (Stillwater, Minn.) tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout. Getchell (1-0) allowed just a pair of singles while walking one and striking out six. He also hit a batter.

Chris Pessotti (Burlington, Mass.) suffered the loss on the mound for the Bears. Pessotti (0-1) gave up four runs on nine hits.  He did not issue any walks and fanned six.

Saint Scholastics got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Brian Minks (St. Cloud, Minn.) popped a double into shallow centerfield and came around to score on Chris Olson's (Duluth, Minn.) RBI single.

The Saints tacked on two more runs in the fifth on back-to-back RBI singles by Al Marolt (Lino Lakes, Minn.) and Jesse Heaton (Heyworth, Ill.).

A Jake Kuschke (Mahtomedi, Minn.) sacrifice fly capped off the scoring in the bottom of the sixth.

Minks (2-for-3) and Olson (2-for-3) paced the Saints' nine-hit attack with two hits apiece.

Travis Ritchie (Taunton, Mass.) and Zack Ricciardi (Hanover, Mass.) had the only hits for the Bears.

In the nightcap, the Saints scored three runs in the top of the sixth to rally past the Bears for the 4-2 victory.
 
After CSS had runners at the corners with nobody out and could not get a run across in the top of the second, Bridgewater State took its first lead of the day with an RBI single to right off the bat of Anthony Deleo (Athol, Mass.) in the bottom of the frame. The Bears also had a runner gunned down at the plate on Deleo's hit.
 
The Saints responded in the third when Drew Colvard (Little Canada, Minn.), who reached on an error, scored on a wild pitch. The Bears regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Sean Brooks (Braintree, Mass.) walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, to third on a wild pitch and scored on Deleo's RBI groundout.
 
It was 2-1 Bridgewater State entering the sixth inning. Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn.) began the inning with a single. After a sacrifice and a pitching change, Minks singled to put runners at the corners. Shayne Ciernia (Eagan, Minn.) followed with a base hit, driving in Neutzling to tie the game at 2-2.
 
With two outs and the bases now loaded, Kuschke would get a RBI single to plate Minks and give the Saints a 3-2 lead. Colvard was then hit by a pitch to drive in Marolt to make it 4-2.
 
Zack Farmer (Duluth, Minn.) entered the game to start the sixth, and, after allowing a hit to the first batter he faced, proceeded to retire the next six batters in order to complete the save and give CSS the 4-2 victory.
 
Mickie Keuning (Duluth, Minn.) got the start for the Saints and earned his first win of the season, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings of work. Neutzling and Ciernia had a pair of hits. CSS finished with nine hits in the game.

Jacob Souza (Acushnet, Mass.) had two hits in four at bats to lead the BSU offense. The Bears had three runners cut down on the bases, two at second and one at home.

Adam Mullen (Fairhaven, Mass.) pitched well in the setback.  Mullen (0-1) gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits in 5 1/3 innings or work.  He walked one and struck out three.

The Florida trip continues for the Bears on Tuesday when they take on Penn State Brandywine at noon in Vero Beach.