Baseball Sweeps Westfield State in MASCAC Twinbill

By Jim Fenton

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team has claimed a share of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title.

The Bears swept a doubleheader from Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon, 5-0 and 4-3, and finished with a 14-7 conference record.

Sophomore Trey Yesu (Monson, Mass.) pitched a complete-game shutout in the opener while Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) hit a game-winning home run in the second game.

BSU (22-13 overall) tied with Framingham State University and Salem State University with Westfield State (25-14) winding up a game back at 13-8.

As a result of the three-way tiebreaker based on head-to-head results, Salem State will be the No. 1 seed in the MASCAC tournament with the Bears at No. 2 and Framingham State at No. 3.

BSU will be at home Thursday afternoon to play the winner of a game between Framingham State and sixth-seeded Worcester State University. Those teams will be playing an elimination game at Bridgewater earlier in the day Thursday.

Win or lose in the opener, the Bears will play on Friday as the double-elimination portion of the tourney continues at Salem.

BSU shared the MASCAC title with Framingham State in 2023 after winning the championship outright in 2022.

The Bears and Owls began Saturday tied for second place, one game behind Framingham State. BSU's sweep combined with a doubleheader split by Framingham State and Fitchburg State allowed the Bears to gain a share of the crown.

In the opener against Westfield State, Yesu recorded his second straight complete-game shutout.

The Bears edged past the Owls in the second game when Selander homered in the top of the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie.

Game One: Bridgewater State 5, Westfield State 0

Yesu continued to stifle opposing hitters, going the distance once again.

Yesu (5-2, 2.75 earned run average) lost a no-hit bid with one out in the seventh inning against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts a week earlier.

In his last three starts, Yesu has given up one run and 11 hits. He has the only two complete-games on the BSU staff this season.

The Owls managed four singles off Yesu, two in the first inning. Yesu struck out three and walked two.

The Bears opened a 1-0 lead in the first when Steven Simon (Hanover, Mass.) singled home Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.), who had reached on an error and advanced on a single by Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.).

BSU made it 2-0 in the third when a sacrifice fly by Flaherty scored Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.), who had singled and moved into scoring position on a single by Lindsay.

The Bears added a run in the fourth when Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) doubled to right and scored on a double to right by Selander.

BSU finished the scoring with a pair of runs in the sixth. Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.) had an infield hit and scored when DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) reached on an error. A Selander double to right-center brought hom Prampin.

Lindsay, Flaherty, Pigeon and Selander had two hits each for BSU, which outhit the Owls, 11-4. Pigeon's infield singles in the sixth marked his 100th career hit.

Losing pitcher Ryan Donahue gave up five runs and 10 hits while striking out eight in 5 1-3 innings.

Game Two: Bridgewater State 5, Westfield State 4

The Owls had scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to pull even at 3-3.

With one out in the top of the sixth, Selander broke the tie with his fourth homer of the season to right field.

The Owls had a runner on in the sixth, but a double play followed, and they went down in order in the seventh as Jack Moynihan (Taunton, Mass.) recorded his first collegiate save with two innings of work.

Winning pitcher Shane Handrahan (Raynham, Mass.) improved to 4-1, striking out four and give up three runs (one earned) in five innings.

BSU took a 2-0 lead in the first when Wladkowski delivered a two-run single to center, scoring Linday, who had an infield hit, and Flaherty, who walked.

The Owls scored one in the second on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Guerrero Baez (Dominican Republic) after Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) walked and went to third on a wild pitch and an error.

BSU went ahead, 3-1, in the fifth as Emerson led with a triple to left-center and scored on a single up the middle by Lindsay.

But the Owls tied it in the bottom of the inning.

Trey Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.) walked and went to third on a two-out single by Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.). Faulkner scored on a single to center by Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.), and an error on the play allowed Slattery to score.

Colton Vasseur (Colchester, Conn.) took the loss, giving up four runs and 10 hits with five strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings.

The Bears had 10 hits with Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.), Emerson, Lindsay and Wladkowski getting two each.