Westfield State Closes Out Fitchburg State

Falcons fall 9-6 in game one; suffer 10-6 setback in game two

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 28, 2012) – The Fitchburg State baseball team closed out the 2012 season this afternoon, falling to Westfield State University, 9-6 and 10-6 in a MASCAC doubleheader at Riccards Field.

Westfield State 9, Fitchburg State 6 (Game 1)

In the opener, Westfield State exploded for eight runs in the top of the second inning and coasted to a 9-6 victory over Fitchburg State University.

Sophomore Kyle Colesanti (Mount Kisco, N.Y./Fox Lane) got the ball rolling for the Owls in the second inning, driving home Westfield State's first run of the day with a line drive to right center field, while freshman Dan Rokitowski (Wappinger Falls, N.Y./Ketcham) connected for a two-run single to make a 3-1 contest. Freshman Nick Champeau (Southbridge, Mass./Tantasqua) followed suit with a two-run single in the next at-bat, while junior Andrew Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass./New Bedford) blasted a three-run triple to cap the eight run rally for the Owls.

Fitchburg State began to chip away at the Westfield lead, scoring runs over the second, third and fourth innings, but sophomore reliever Kevin Zyrkowski (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) quieted the Falcon bats over the final three frames to secure the victory.

Junior Matt Zajac (New Hartford, Conn./Saint Paul Catholic) led the way for the Falcons, hitting a perfect 2-for-2, while sophomore Patrick McMahon (S. Windsor, Conn./S. Winsor) also finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI. Junior Chris Rivera (New Britain, Conn./New Britain) was the other Falcons with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with one run scored.

Medeiros and Colesanti paved the way in the Owls victory, posting two hits apiece, while Rokitowski and Champeau finished with a pair of RBI.

On the mound, Zyrkowski picked up the win for Westfield State, tossing 3.1 innings of one hits relief, while junior Tynan Flegg (Calgary, AB/National Sport Academy) suffered the loss for the Falcons, yielding eight runs (five earned) and five hits over 1.2 innings of work.

Westfield State 10, Fitchburg State 6 (Game 2)

In the second game of the day, Westfield State scored in bulk again, posting a seven run fourth inning en route to a 10-6 victory.

Fitchburg State opened the contest with an early 1-0 lead, using a sacrifice fly from Cody Bamforth (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) in the bottom of the first inning, but Westfield State quickly erased its deficit, scoring nine runs over the next three frames for a commanding eight run lead. Blair sparked the Owls with a solo homerun in the second, before Champeau connected for a sac-fly in the third. Westfield State then opened the contest in the fourth, using a two-run homerun from Kevin Greene (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) and a three-run double from Matt Kelly (Weymouth, Mass./BC High).

Owl starter, Mike Molta (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket) carried a no-hitter through five innings of play, but McMahon broke up the no-hit bit with a bunt single to lead off the sixth. McMahon's hit sparked a three run rally by the Falcons, cutting Westfield State's lead to 10-4 with a two-run single from Zajac and run scoring single from Rivera. The Falcons tacked on two more runs in the seventh, but Molta settled in a retired the final three batters to secure the win.

Zajac led the Falcons in game two as well, hitting 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI, while Bamforth also added a pair of RBI and one run scored. Blair finished with three hits to lead the visitors, while Kelly chipped in with two hits and three RBI.

On the mound, junior Pat Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) went the distance for the Falcons, allowing ten runs (eight earned) and 11 hits, while striking out four and walking none. Molta also turned in a complete game effort for the Owls, yielding six runs (two earned) and five hits, while fanning three.

Fitchburg State concludes the 2012 seasons this afternoon, posting an overall record of 9-28 and a 2-12 mark in the MASCAC. Westfield State (19-16, 11-3 MASCAC) also concludes the 2012 regular season and awaits its bid into the MASCAC Tournament.