Worcester State Takes Two From Fitchburg State

Falcons fall 3-2 in game one; suffer 11-2 defeat in game two

WORCESTER, Mass. (April 24, 2012) – The Fitchburg State baseball team fell twice to MASCAC rival Worcester State University this afternoon, dropping the first contest of the day, 3-2 and the nightcap, 11-2.

Worcester State 3, Fitchburg State 2 (Game 1)

In the opener, Worcester State rallied for one run in the bottom the sixth inning and held off any Fitchburg State heroics in the seventh to secure a 3-2 MASCAC victory.

The Lancers got on the board first, posting a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth frame as freshman Cody Osburn (Fair Oaks, Calif./Gilmour Academy) connected for a two-run double to drive in junior Kurt Sabacinski (Worcester, Mass./St. Peter Marian) and sophomore Joseph Carlier (Rockland, Mass./Rockland).

The Falcons responded with single runs over the fifth and sixth frames, using an RBI double from AJ Silberman (Meriden, Conn./Wilcox Tech) and an RBI single from Cody Bamforth (Vernon, Conn./Rockville), but Worcester State regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, using a run scoring single from Carlier to drive in Jeff Bolio (Oxford, Mass./Oxford), who led off the frame with triple.

Carlier finished the contest 2-for-3 to lead the host, posting a pair of doubles, a run scored and one RBI, while Osburn added a 1-for-3 performance with two RBI. Junior Chris Rivera (New Britain, Conn./New Britain) led the Falcons offense, going 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored, while Michael Szajner (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) added a double and run scored.

On the mound, junior Pat Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) suffered the loss for the Falcons despite his complete game effort. Mercier went the distance, allowing five hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out two and walking two. Freshman DJ Colburt (Somersworth, N.H./Somersworth) earned the victory for the Lancers as he limited Fitchburg State to just four hits and two runs over seven innings pitched.

Worcester State 11, Fitchburg State 2 (Game 2)

In the second game of the day, Worcester State exploded for five runs and five hits in the top of the first inning and cruised to an 11--2 MASCAC victory over Fitchburg State.

Osburn and freshman David Ruggiero (Peabody, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) led the Lancer charge, connecting for a two-run double and two-run homerun respectively, while Carlier ignited the rally with an RBI single earlier in the inning.

Worcester State padded its lead with two runs in the bottom of the second before unleashing a 9-0 lead with a two-run homerun off the bat of Bolio in the bottom of the third. Fitchburg State cut its deficit to seven with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning, using a run scoring double from Bamforth and an RBI groundout from Matt Zajac (New Hartford, Conn./Saint Paul Catholic).

Osburn paced the Lancer attack, hitting a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, triple, two runs scored and four RBI while Bolio finished 3-for-3 with a triple, a homerun, two runs scored and two RBI. Bamforth and junior Jeff Boice (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) led the Falcons with one double apiece.

Senior Frank Yavorosky (Westminster, Mass./Narragansett) took the loss for Fitchburg State, yielding seven runs (five earned) and seven hits over 1.2 innings pitched. Freshman Joe Perlak (Chicopee, Mass./Chicopee) picked up the win for Worcester State, allowing just two runs (one earned) and five hits, while striking out one in the complete game effort.

Fitchburg State (8-26, 2-10 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it hosts Becker College at 3:30 p.m. Worcester State (12-23, 4-8 MASCAC) will host Newbury College tomorrow at 4 p.m.