Fitchburg State And Wentworth Split On Day Four

Falcons post 12-2 victory in game one; fall 9-5 over eight innings in game two

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 13, 2013) – The Fitchburg State baseball team handed Wentworth its first loss of the season, downing the Leopards 12-2 in game one before falling 9-5 over eight innings in game two.

In game one, Fitchburg State took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning when senior Randy Ortiz, Jr. (Danielson, Conn.) doubled and went to third on a senior Cody Bamforth (Vernon, Conn.) single. Ortiz scored on a wild pitch and Bamforth followed when junior David Mason (Leominster, Mass.) delivered a ball to right field that was misplayed.

The Leopards tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth but Fitchburg State broke the game open with a 10-run sixth inning as the Falcons sent 14 batters to the plate and scored nine times before an out was recorded. Sophomore Pierce Hans (Washington Township, N.J.) and Bamforth each had two-run singles while Bamforth had two hits in the inning.

Senior Dylan Smith (New London, Conn.) went the distance for Fitchburg State, allowing two runs on six hits, walking five and striking out two. Bamforth was 3-for-4, while freshman Javier Lozada (New Bedford, Mass.), Ortiz, and junior Alex Heroux (Leominster, Mass.) each had a pair of hits. Hans, Bamforth, and senior Matt Zajac (New Hartford, Conn.) each drove in two runs.

In the night cap, both teams took a 1-1 tie into extra innings as Fitchburg State battled from one run down in the bottom of the fourth. Both teams had chances to score over the first seven innings, including the Falcons bases loaded effort in the third. In the seventh inning the Leopards had a runner in scoring position with one out but could not push the go-ahead run across.

An inning later Wentworth scored eight runs to take a 9-1 lead with Hulme and Mailman delivering back-to-back, two-run singles to make it a 5-1 game, The Falcons tallied four runs in the home half of the inning, with two of those coming on a two-run, two-out double from senior Jeff Boice (Glastonbury, Conn.), but Fitchburg State would get no closer, with the final score staying at 9-5.

Boice (two hits, two RBI) and Zajac (two hits) paced Fitchburg's offense, while senior Zachary Bombria (Bolton, Conn.) was tagged with the loss, despite allowing just two runs on seven hits and striking out five in seven-plus innings of work.

Fitchburg State (3-3, 0-0 MASCAC) will square off against Medaille tomorrow at 10:15 a.m.