Falcons Earn Split With Rams

Clipped 6-4 in opener; Collect 5-0 victory in nightcap 

Framingham, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University baseball team collected a spilt with Framingham State University this afternoon in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader at Bowditch Field, dropping the opener 6-4 before collecting a 5-0 triumph in the nightcap.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 6, Framingham State 6 (Gm 1)

Score: Fitchburg State 5, Framingham State 0 (Gm 2)

Records: Fitchburg State (12-16-2, 6-7-1 MASCAC) | Framingham State (17-16, 8-6 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Game One

In the opener, the Falcons got on the board in the top of the first when senior Andrew Currie (Quincy, Mass.) walked and a single by junior Noah Milliard (Leominster, Mass.) put runners on second and third with one out.  Senior Sean Maki (Fitchburg, Mass.) followed with a walk loading the bases and sophomore Brennan Cuddahy (Leominster, Mass.) delivered a sacrifice fly to left for the 1-0 lead.

The Rams tied the game in the bottom of the frame as junior Aaron Williams (Brockton, Mass.) reached on an infield single and stole second.  After a pair of outs, junior Kyle Lippert (Carlsbad, Calif.) reached on an error putting runners on the corners.  Senior Cameron Borrelli (Peabody, Mass.) blooped a single to center scored Williams and Lippert.  Sophomore Anthony Venuti (Braintree, Mass.) followed with an RBI double to right for the 3-1 lead.

The Falcons tied the game with one swing of the bat in the top of the third.  Milliard singled and Maki followed with a two run homer to deep center.

Sophomore Bobby Higgins (Barnstable, Mass.) put the Rams back in the lead with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning.

Fitchburg State tied the game once again in the top of the fifth.  Currie doubled to lead off the frame and scored on a two out RBI single by Cuddahy.

The Rams reclaimed the lead for good in the bottom of the inning on a solo home run to deep left by senior Kyle Pileski (Bristol, Conn.).  A double play ball scored Lippert, who had singled, put the Rams up by two and accounted for the final run of the game.

Game Two

The Falcons once again got on the board in the top of the first as Currie attempted to steal third and scored when the throw sailed into the outfield.

Fitchburg State added two more in the top of the third on an RBI double from Milliard and an RBI single off the bat of Cuddahy.  The Green and Gold capped the scoring with two in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with one out before Currie delivered a two run single to right, resulting in the 5-0 game two final.

Inside the Numbers

Currie paced the Falcons offense, going 3-for-6 with a double, three runs scored and two RBI, while Cuddahy added two hits and three RBI.

For the Rams, Borrelli finished 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, while Lippett chipped in with two hits and two runs scored.

On the mound, sophomore Richard Sharp (Townsend, Mass.) took the loss for Falcons on the hill going four innings and allowing six runs, three earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts and two walks in the opener, while freshman Ryan Towle (Westfield, Mass.) went the distance for the Falcons in game two allowing just two hits with ten strikeouts and no walks to collect the win. 

Senior Mike Andrews (Stoneham, Mass.) earned the victory on the mound for the Rams allowing four earned runs on ten hits with five strikeouts and two walks in the opener, while junior Kyle Hodgson (Berkley, Mass.) took the loss for the Rams going four innings and allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits with four strikeouts in the nightcap.

80th meeting between the two schools on the diamond with the Falcons currently 37-43-0 all-time when taking on the Rams.

Two teams have split the last ten meeting (5-5-0) with Framingham State securing an 8-5 triumph in the last matchup (5/4/17) in opening round action of the 2017 MASCAC Baseball tournament at Riccards Field. Senior infielder Andrew Mooney paced the Green and Gold, going 2-for-4 with a double, one run scored and one RBI.

Up Next

Falcons will host the Raiders of Rivier University on Monday for a non-conference match up, starting at 3:30 PM. Rams will travel to Plymouth State on the same day for a non-conference tilt at 3:30 PM.

Portions of the release courtesy of the Framingham State SID office