Fitchburg State Splits Series With MCLA, 2-1/4-3

Falcons rally for 2-1 victory in game one; fall short, 4-3 in game two

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (March 30, 2013) – The Fitchburg State baseball team opened 2013 MASCAC play this afternoon, splitting with MCLA at McLaughlin Field. The Falcons rallied for a 2-1 victory in game one before falling short in the nightcap, 4-3.

In the opener, MCLA got on the board first, plating an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning. But after six scoreless inning, Fitchburg State came up huge, plating two runs in the top of the seventh en route to its eighth victory of the season.

Sophomore Brendan Cutler (Lancaster, Mass./Clinton) provided the big punch for the Falcons, blasting a two-run homerun to put Fitchburg State on top. Junior David Mason (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) opened the frame with a single and two batters later Cutler stepped in and laced a one-out blast over the centerfield wall.

On the hill, the Falcons received yet another stellar outing from senior Patrick Mercier (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex). The veteran right-hander improved to 4-0 on the season with a complete game effort. He limited the Trailblazers to just one unearned run, scattering seven hits and one walk while striking out six.

In the nightcap, Fitchburg State found itself down early, trailing 4-0 after a four run third inning by MCLA, but the Falcons battled back, closing the gap to only one (4-3) with three runs of their own in the sixth.

The Falcons collected three hits and one walk in the rally, including an RBI double from AJ Silberman (Meriden, Conn./Meriden) and a one run single from sophomore Pierce Hans (Washington Township, N.J./Westwood). Senior Randy Ortiz Jr. (Danielson, Conn./Killingly) also brought in a run with a groundout.

In the seventh, the Falcons threatened again and appeared to have the final inning magic yet again as Mason led off with a single and pinch runner Roe Fernandez (Cape Coral, Fla./North Fort Myers) moved to second with a steal. Junior Alex Heroux (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and third, but the Trailblazers were able to record the final two outs of the contest to hold off another Falcon comeback.

On the mound, freshman Javier Lozada (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) suffered his first loss of the season (2-1), yielding four runs on six hits while striking out three.

Fitchburg State (8-5-1, 1-1 MASCAC) will be back in action on Tuesday as it visits Eastern Nazarene College for a day/night double-header beginning at 3:30 p.m.