Fitchburg State Splits At MCLA
Falcons edged 3-2 in game one; rebound with 9-1 victory in game two
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. (April 9, 2011) – The Fitchburg State baseball team battled to a 1-1 split with MCLA in MASCAC action this afternoon. The Falcons suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 loss in game one before rebounding with an 9-1 victory in game two.
MCLA 3, Fitchburg State 2
In the day’s opening contest, senior Dave Alexander (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) connected for a two-run homerun in the fourth inning to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead but MCLA battled back in the bottom of the seventh frame, posting three runs to sneak away with a victory.
Alexander’s homer in the fourth looked like it would be the difference in the game as Falcon starter Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) cruised through the first six innings, but a leadoff walk to Joe Parillo in the bottom of the seventh opened the flood gates. Parillo advanced to third on back-to-back wild pitches and with one out the Trailblazers put together three straight singles to tie the game and load the bases. Joe Duncan lined out to short with Paul Procopio on third, but with two outs, Rick Massey laced a single to left-center to give MCLA the 3-2 victory.
Mercier had allowed only two runners to reach base prior to the seventh inning as the third-year hurlers went the distance for the Falcons. Mercier scattered five hits and three runs throughout the contest, while only walking a pair. Daniel Gaines tossed the complete game for the Trailblazers, improving to 3-0 on the season with two K’s and only four hits allowed.
Fitchburg State 9, MCLA 1
Game two also started off quiet at the plate as sophomore Alex Teal (Malden, Mass./Malden) and MCLA’s Sean Hermance kept the bats quiet most of the early going.
The game was knotted 1-1 after five innings of play as sophomore Matt Zajac (New Hartford, Conn./Saint Paul) came around to score after a leadoff double in the third. MCLA pushed across a run in the home half of the fourth when Meaney singled to center scoring Osiris Mendez.
Fitchburg State grabbed a one run lead in the top of the sixth, scoring on a failed pickoff attempt, but the Falcons busted the game open with seven runs in the seventh to earn its first conference win of the season. Sophomore Jeff Boice (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) sparked the Falcons rally with a two-run double, while senior Brian Ware (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) added an RBI base-hit.
Teal earned the complete game victory for the Falcons, improving to 2-2 on the season. The sophomore sensation limited the Trailblazers to only five hits in the contest, yielding just the one run with only two walks. Senior John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) finished the contest 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Zajac was a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of runs.
Fitchburg State (8-11, 1-3 MASCAC) returns to action on Monday as it travels to WPI at 3:30 p.m. MCLA (6-12, 1-3 MASCAC) will host Elms College on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.