By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team used an eighth-inning rally to advance into the championship round of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
Trailing by two runs, the top-seeded Bears erupted for five runs in the eighth to overtake second-seeded Salem State University, 7-4, Friday at Alumni Park.
BSU (29-8) is one win away from its fifth straight conference tourney title and a trip to next week's NCAA Division III tourney.
The Bears will await the winner of an elimination game between Salem State (21-16) and third-seeded Worcester State University (20-19).
Those teams will play at 10:00 AM and the winner would have to defeat BSU twice in the championship round with the first game scheduled for 30 minutes following the conclusion of the elimination game.
After being limited to four hits in the first seven innings, the Bears' offense kicked into gear in the eighth.
With the Vikings on top, 4-2, BSU had four hits in the inning while scoring the five runs.
Senior Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) walked, went to second on a single to left-center by senior DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.), then scored when sophomore Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.) reached on an error.
A bunt single by junior Logan Petrosino (Beverly, Mass.) scored Prampin to tie the game at 4-4.
Sophomore Jeyden Espinal (Fall River, Mass.) singled to right to break the tie, bringing in Luna.
Petrosino scored on an outfield error and junior Rylan Secovich (Southwick, Mass.) added an RBI single through the left side.
Sophomore Chase Beach (Orleans, Mass.) was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-0. Beach pitched the final three innings. He struck out six and gave up a run and two hits.
Senior Danny Jasmin (East Meadow, N.Y.) started and allowed two runs and a hit in 2 2/3 innings with three strikeouts while senior Matt Kustigian (Charlton, Mass.) gave up a run and two hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Salem State junior Nolan Currier (Maynard, Mass.), the MASCAC Pitcher of the Year with a 6-0 record, gave up two runs and four hits with five strikeouts in six innings.
Sophomore Nick Krompegal (Bristol, Conn.), the second of three pitchers, took the loss, allowing five runs and four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
BSU had eight hits with Prampin and Luna getting two each. Senior Aidan Lynch (North Andover, Mass.) had two of Salem State's five hits. Both teams committed three errors.
The Bears scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening inning without having a hit.
Sophomore Cam Beltramini (Hanson, Mass.) was hit by a pitch for the fourth time in the tournament and went to third on two wild pitches before scoring on a sacrifice fly to left by Selander.
Salem State took a 2-1 lead in the third without the benefit of a hit.
The Vikings loaded the bases when junior Antonio Belgrove (Stamford, Conn.) reached on an error and junior Yabdriel Gonzalez (New Haven, Conn.) and sophomore Michael Buccaro (Guilford, Conn.) drew walks.
Salem State tied the game when senior Owen Duggan (Billerica, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and took the lead on a sacrifice fly to right by sophomore Ethan Stepputtis (Prospect, Conn.).
The Bears tied it in the fourth inning when they had three hits after going 3 1/3 innings without a hit.
Junior Benjamin Sepeck (Whitman, Mass.) walked, Prampin singled and Luna singled up the middle. Sepeck came around to score on an outfield error.
The Vikings went back ahead, 3-2, in the sixth.
Senior Lucas Rincon (Revere, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and Lynch singled. Rincon went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single through the left side by freshman Jonny Payne (Seekonk, Mass.).
Salem State added a run in the seventh inning.
Gonzalez reached on an error, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a single up the middle by Duggan.
BSU is now 15-1 in MASCAC tournament play since 2022. The lone loss was to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy last season, and the Bears rallied to win three in a row and defend the title.