Baseball Downs Mass. Maritime to Force Deciding Game in MASCAC Tournament

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The 2025 Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference baseball season has come down to one game.

Top-seeded Bridgewater State University and the second-seeded Massachusetts Maritime Academy will square off Sunday at noon at Alumni Park for the conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

The Bears, who are in the final round for a fourth consecutive year, won a pair of elimination games on Saturday.

After BSU stopped fifth-seeded Salem State University, 12-6, in the opener, the Bears then handed Mass. Maritime its first loss of the tournament, 12-3, in the second game of the day.

A record-breaking home run by junior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) in the eighth inning of the second game helped break it open.

The Bears (29-13) and the Buccaneers (24-18) will meet for the third time in three days and the sixth time this season. BSU holds a 3-2 lead over Mass. Maritime in '25, including a 10-0 loss to the Buccaneers on Friday.

The Bears needed three straight wins after that defeat to win a fourth consecutive MASCAC crown, and they are now one win away from making that happen.

Mass. Maritime, which was limited to five hits by two BSU pitchers, is just a win away from its first conference tourney championship.

Flaherty became the BSU all-time leader in home runs and RBI in a season during a five-run eighth inning that enabled the Bears to pull away from the Buccaneers.

Flaherty, a transfer from Stonehill College, hit his 16th homer with two runners on, breaking the record of 15 home runs held by John Kiely since 1986.

He also has 61 RBI after hitting the homer, breaking the mark of 59 that Jeremy Winters had in 2003.

The Bears never trailed against Mass. Maritime, which scored twice in the sixth inning to make it 3-3.

But BSU scored five times in the eighth, getting just two hits, to take the game over and force a deciding game.

Juniors Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) and Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) drew walks and senior DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) bunted for a hit to load the bases.

Senior Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to make it 4-3 and a sacrifice fly to right by senior Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) opened a 5-3 edge.

Flaherty then hit his record-setting homer with two outs to left field for the five-run advantage.

The Bears scored four more times in the ninth on a grand slam by Emerson, his fifth homer of the season and 69th hit this year.

Luna had singled, Thornell was hit by a pitch and Prampin walked to load the bases for Emerson.

BSU, which was the visiting team, took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out double to left-center by senior Philip Messina (Dunkirk, N.Y.).

Emerson had led off with a single down the left-field line, and after two outs, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch before Flaherty walked.

Mass. Maritime scored a run in the third on a two-out RBI single to right by sophomore Damon White (Buzzards Bay, Mass.), bringing in senior Jake Houston (Bellingham, Mass.), who had singled.

The Bears went up, 3-1, in the fifth with two outs as Selander delivered a two-run single through the right side, bringing in Messina and freshman Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.), who had singled.

Mass. Maritime tied it in the bottom of the sixth when MASCAC Player of the Year senior Brett Velzis (Cypress, Texas) homered to center after a single by senior AJ Pietrafesa (Harwinton, Conn.).

Sophomore Jaden Arruda (Seekonk, Mass.) started for BSU and allowed a run and two hits with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Senior Cameron Breault (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) pitched the final 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs and three hits with four strikeouts.

Emerson led the 10-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with five RBI. Messina was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Luna had two hits.

Pietrafes had two of the five Buccaneers' hits.