Baseball Opens MASCAC Schedule with 11-3 Win Over MCLA

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University baseball teamed opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play with an 11-3 victory over MCLA on Friday in Springfield. The game was played at Archie Allen Field on the campus of Springfield College.

The Bears improve to 11-5 (1-0 MASCAC) on the season with their third straight win. The host Trailblazers fall to 6-8 (0-1 MASCAC) with their sixth straight setback. Bridgewater State is now 61-39 versus MCLA since 1972. The Bears are also 39-10 versus the Trailblazers since the turn of the century including a 15-4 mark on the road.

BSU senior righthander Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.) tossed two-hit ball over seven strong innings to pick up his first win on the season. Seavey (1-1) allowed just one run and walked two. He retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced and did not give up a hit until the fifth inning.

The Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Sophomore second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, moved to second on a fly out and came around to score on an RBI single by freshman third baseman Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.). Senior first baseman Joey Molis (Cumberland, R.I.) followed with an RBI double to deep centerfield and, two batters later, raced home when junior designated hitter Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) reached on an error.

Bridgewater extended the lead to 8-0 with a five-run fourth inning. Junior shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) knocked in a pair of runs with a base hit, while Emerson connected for an RBI triple. Junior right fielder Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) and junior left fielder Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) added run-scoring singles in the frame.

The Trailblazers got on the board with a run in the fifth. Junior left fielder Ty Mazzeo (Averill Park, N.Y.) walked with one out, advanced to second on a ground out and came around to score on a William Walsh (So., Maynard, Mass.) RBI single.

The Bear tacked on three more runs to make it an 11-1 game in the top of the seventh. Sophomore centerfielder DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) started the rally with a one-out triple to centerfield. Lindsay followed with an RBI single, stole second and raced home on Emerson's RBI double to left. Emerson then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Wladkowski's RBI ground out.

An RBI double off the bat of junior shortstop Noel Medina (Bronx, N.Y.) and an RBI ground out by Mazzeo in the bottom of the ninth accounted for the final score of 11-3.

Emerson went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, three runs and two RBI to pace the Bears' 14-hit attack. Thornell (2-4, BB, R, RBI), Molis (2-4, 2B, BB, R, RBI), James (2-5, SB, RBI) and Lindsay (2-5, SB, 2R, 3RBI) also recorded multiple hits for Bridgewater State.

Junior righthander Nate Morse (Holyoke, Mass.) was saddled with the loss for MCLA. Morse (0-1) gave up eight runs (six earned) on ten hits over four innings with no walks and three strikeouts.

Medina was the only Trailblazer with multiple hits as smacked a pair of double in four at bats, scored a run and knocked in one.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game MASCAC series on Sunday with game one of a doubleheader getting underway at noon.