Baseball Edges MCLA, 2-1

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team edged visiting MCLA, 2-1, in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contest on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Bears improve to 14-20 on the season and 9-10 in the MASCAC, while the visiting Trailblazers fall to 10-26 overall and 4-15 in conference play with the setback.

Sophomore Matt Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) gave up just one run on six hits over 7 2/3 innings to pick up the win on the mound for Bridgewater State. Josselyn (2-3) walked one and struck out four.

The Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out, two-run single off the bat of senior Gavin Sparkman (Beverly, Mass.).

MCLA cut the deficit to 2-1 with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Junior Joe Toledo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led off the frame with a base hit and was replaced on the base paths by classmate Ben Durland (Paxton, Mass.). Durland moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on sophomore Jake Ferrara's (East Haven, Conn.) RBI single. The Trailblazers threatened to tie the score as they had runners at the corners with one out. BSU sophomore reliever David Kerns (Cambridge, Mass.), however, came on an induced a fly out to left to end the inning.

Kerns worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to secure the win and record his team-leading third save of the season.

Senior Kevin Bresciani (Hopedale, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored to pace the Bears' offense.

Senior lefthander Bobby New (Pittsfield, Mass.) went the distance on the mound in the setback for the Trailblazers. New (5-6) gave up two runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Toledo (2-for-3) and junior Christian Seariac (Framingham, Mass.) notched two hits apiece to the lead the MCLA offense. Seariac singled twice in four at bats.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game series tomorrow afternoon at one with a doubleheader at Alumni Park.