Fitchburg State Splits with Bridgewater State
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Fitchburg State University baseball split in a pair of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) games on Saturday afternoon.
The host Bears took the first game, 4-2, while the Falcons earned the split with a 2-1 come-from-behind win in the nightcap.
With the split, the Bears are now 6-17 on the season and 3-7 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons see their record go to 11-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play.
In the opener, Chris Pessotti went the distance on the hill for the Bears giving up just two unearned runs while scattering six hits. Pessotti (1-1) walked one and fanned one.
Fitchburg opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. Brendan Cutler led off the frame with a base hit, took second on a passed ball and third on a sacrifice bunt. Clayton Beaulieu followed with an RBI ground out to give the Falcons the 1-0 lead.
The Bears pushed across all four of their runs in the bottom of the third. Singles by Sean Brooks and Travis Ritchie and a Scott O-Brien hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. Nick White stroked a two-run double to right center to give BSU the lead. Keagan Austin-MacInnis followed with a two-single through the right side to make it a 4-1 game.
The Falcons cut the deficit to 4-2 with a run in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Mike St. John doubled to center and scored on a dropped fly ball when the BSU outfielders collided.
Fitchburg loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh on a pair of singles and and an infield throwing error. Pessotti, however, induced a game-ending ground out to end the threat and secure the win for the Bears.
Austin-MacInnis went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead the BSU offense.
Cutler had a pair of hits in three at bats to pace Fitchburg State.
Connor Collett (2-1) gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings with a walk in the setback on the mound for the Falcons.
In game two, the Falcons rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and earn a split of the doubleheader.
Down a run in the seventh, back-to-back walks by Luis Ortiz and Beaulieu put runners on first and second with one out. Following a pitching change, Frazier lined a single to right center to score Ortiz and tie the game at 1-1. Steve McFadden was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Mike Maloney singled through the left side to plate Beaulieu with the go-ahead run.
The MASCAC schedule continues for both teams on Monday afternoon. The Bears entertain MCLA in a twinbill at noon, while the Falcons host a doubleheader with Westfield State University at one.
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