Baseball Drops Pair of Games to Worcester State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Worcester State University baseball team came away with a pair of wins over Bridgewater State University in a non-conference doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park. The Lancers won the opener, 6-2, and completed the sweep with a 7-6 victory in eight innings in game two.

The Lancers improve to 4-0 on the season, while the Bears fall to 1-6.

Game One

Sean Mahan (Woburn, Mass.) tossed two-hit ball over five innings to pick up the win on the mound for the Lancers in game one. Mahan (2-0) gave up just one run, walked one and struck out seven as he combined with Ben Smith (Bourne, Mass.) to fan 11 BSU batsmen. Smith worked the final two innings giving up a run on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

The Lancers broke open a scoreless game with a three-run fourth inning. Sean Devin (Lynn, Mass.) singled home a pair of runs and later scored on a wild pitch in the inning.

The Bears got a run back in the home half of the fourth. Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) walked to lead off the frame, advanced to second on a Dan Saraceno (Mansfield, Mass.) double and scored on a wild pitch.

Worcester State quickly answered in the top of the fifth. A successful suicide squeeze bunt by Mike Chaves Jr. (Hudson, Mass.) and an RBI single off the bat of Zach Landry (Mashpee, Mass.) extended the Lancer lead to 5-1.

The visitors tacked on another run in the sixth to make it a 6-1 game. Chris Ausiello (Tyngsboro, Mass.) singled to lead off the frame, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and raced home on Thomas DiBattista's (Hudson, Mass.) sacrifice fly.

The Bears plated a run in the seventh to account for the finals score of 6-2. Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) singled and later scored on an RBI groundout.

Trever Dennett (Kingston, Mass.) was saddled with the loss on the mound for the Bears in his first start of the season. Dennett (0-1) gave up five runs on nine hits over five innings. He did not issue a walk and fanned five.

Worcester State banged out 11 hits in the opener, all singles. DiBattista (2-3, R, RBI), Jake Breton (Wilbraham, Mass.), Landry (2-4, R, RBI) and Ausiello (2-3, R) paced the Lancers with two hits apiece. Breton singled twice and scored a run.

Game Two

The Lancers completed the sweep with a 7-6 victory in eight innings in game two. Worcester led 5-1 in the contest, but the Bears scored three times in the sixth inning and once in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.

Alex Sorenti-Burns (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) cracked a pinch hit two-run single in the top of the eighth to break the 5-5 tie. Landry and Ausiello started the rally with back-to-back base hits. Following a sacrifice bunt, Sorenti-Burns lined a single into left field to give the visitors the 7-5 lead.

The Bears rallied in the bottom of the eighth. Tyler Rondeau (Bourne, Mass.) walked to lead off the frame and moved to second on a base hit by Patrick Cashin (Franklin, Mass.) after the next two batters were retired, Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) was hit by pitch to load the bases. A wild pitch advanced all three base runners and cut the deficit to 7-6. Parker Bigelow (Leominster, Mass.), however, induced a game-ending groundout as the Lancers held on for the win.

Worcester State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on Pat Galvin's (Shrewsbury, Mass.) RBI double and another suicide squeeze bunt by Chaves Jr..

The Bears got one back in the fourth as Jonathan O'Donnell (Hull, Mass.) walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and came around to score on Joe Frechette's (Plymouth, Mass.) RBI single.

The Lancers extended the lead to 5-1 with a three-run sixth inning. Worcester State loaded the bases on walk to Breton and base hits by Chaves Jr. and Landry. Ausiello singled home the first run of the frame and later scored on a wild pitch, while Landry crossed the plate on Zack Roberts' (Northbridge, Mass.) sacrifice fly.

The Bears answered with three runs of their own in the home half of the sixth. Back-to-back singles by O'Donnell and Wladkowski, and a Frechette hit by pitch loaded the bases with nobody out. Rondeau rifled a two-run single down the left field line and Frechette later scored on Kevin Lindsay's (East Bridgewater, Mass.) RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 5-4.

Bridgewater capitalized on a Lancer error to push across the tying run in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, O'Donnell worked a walk and was replaced on the base paths by Michael Catanoso (Marshfield, Mass.). Catanoso promptly stole second and then scored the game-tying run when Wladkowski reached on an error.

Five Worcester pitchers saw time on the mound in game two with Kevin Zarnoch Jr. (Boston, Mass.) picking up the win in relief. Zarnoch Jr. (1-0) allowed just one unearned run in two innings of work. He did not allow a hit, walked one and fanned two. Parker Bigelow (Leominster, Mass.) worked out of trouble in the eighth to record the save. Bigelow gave up a run on a hit and walk with one strikeout.

Colin Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) got the start on the hill for the Bears but did not factor in the decision. Josselyn allowed five runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Ethan Grade (South Windsor, Conn.) was tagged with the loss in relief. Grade (0-1) gave up two runs on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Galvin (2-4, 2B, SB, RBI), Landry (3-4, 2R) and Ausiello (2-3, 2R, RBI) paced the Lancers' 11-hit attack in game two.

O'Donnell led the way for Bridgewater State as he reached safely in all four plate appearances with a single and three walks. Luke Tamulevich (Whitman, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a stolen base as he was the only BSU batsmen with multiple hits. The Bears swiped five bases in game two.

Up Next: The two teams will meet again on Saturday (Apr. 3) afternoon in a non-conference doubleheader at Worcester State. Game one of the twinbill is slated to get underway at noon.