Baseball Clinches Share of MASCAC Regular Season Title with 8-2 Win at Worcester

WORCESTER, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University baseball team posted an 8-2 victory over Worcester State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) matchup on Friday afternoon at Lyons Diamond. With the win, the Bears clinched a share of the MASCAC regular season title, their first since 2012.

The Bears, who swept the three-game set against the Lancers, improve to 26-11 on the season and 16-2 in the MASCAC. The Lancers fall to 17-15 overall and 11-7 in conference play. Bridgewater has won eight its last nine games.

The Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by sophomore left fielder Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) and a two-run single off the bat of junior third baseman Joey Molis (Cumberland, R.I.). Frechette's two-run single in the second staked the visitors to a 5-0 lead.

Back-to-back RBI doubles by junior shortstop Chris Ausiello (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and senior left fielder Thomas DiBattista (Hudson, Mass.) in the bottom of the fourth cut the deficit to 5-2. The Lancers threatened again with runners on second and third with one out in the fifth but couldn't score.

The Bears scored three times without a hit or error in the top of the seventh inning as Lancers pitching issued six walks in the frame. Sophomore centerfielder Shane Foley (East Bridgewater, Mass.), sophomore shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and freshman second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) each walked with the bases loaded as Bridgewater extended the lead to 8-2.

Junior righthander Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.) worked the first five innings on the mound for the Bears to record his fifth win of the season. Seavey (5-2) gave up two runs on three hits with five walks and a pair of strikeouts. Freshman lefthander Shane Handrahan (Raynham, Mass.) tossed three scoreless innings of relief allowing just a hit and walk with two strikeouts. Junior righty Tyler Dasilva-Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) worked out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth to close out the game.

Frechette went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and three RBI to pace the BSU offense, while Emerson was 2-for-4 at the plate with a walk, run and RBI. Sophomore right fielder Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) singled and walked twice in five plate appearances and scored two runs.

DiBattista was the only Lancer with multiple hits as he went 2-for-5 with the RBI double.

Junior righthander Cole Glassburn (Hopkinton, Mass.) suffered the loss on the mound for Worcester State. Glassburn (2-4) allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings with two walks and three strikeouts.  

The Bears wrap up regular season play next weekend with a three-game set against Westfield State University on Friday and Saturday. The Bears need to win one of the three games to clinch the MASCAC regular season crown outright.