Falcons Clipped By Vikings, 4-3 In MASCAC Opening Round Action

Towle finishes with three strikeouts in seven innings pitched for Fitchburg State

Salem, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University baseball team suffered a tough 4-3 setback to the Vikings of Salem State in 11 innings in opening round action of the 2018 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) baseball post-season tournament this afternoon.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 3, Salem State 4 (11 Inn)

Records: Fitchburg State (13-17-2, 6-7-1 MASCAC) | Salem State (21-17, 8-6 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Fitchburg State opened the scoring in the top of the second as sophomore Joshua Macomber (Berkley, Mass.) tripled to right field and scored on an RBI ground from classmate Matthew Pingitore (Rutland, Mass.) for the 1-0 margin.

The Falcons doubled their lead (2-0) in the top half of the fifth when sophomore Brandon Lefebvre (Leominster, Mass.) singled through the left side, moved to second and third on a sacrifice and fielder's choice, before crossing the plate on an RBI single off the bat of junior Noah Milliard (Leominster, Mass.).

The Green and Gold upped its advantage in the top of the seventh as senior Andrew Currie (Quincy, Mass.) singled up the middle, advanced to second on a walk and scored after stealing third and coming home on a throwing miscue to make the score 3-0.

Salem State cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth when senior Jose Cedano (Lawrence, Mass.) singled in classmate Alex Toomey (Beverly, Mass.), while sophomore Madoc Fisher (Wayne, N.J.) brought home fellow sophomore Kyle O'Connor (Lynn, Mass.) with a sacrifice fly.

The Vikings knotted the score (3-3) in the bottom half of the ninth as Toomey laced a one-out RBI single through the left side that scored pinch runner Pat Fitzgerald (Auburn, Mass.) to send the game into extra innings.

The scored remained 3-3 going into the 11th when Toomey singled through the left side to bring home Fitzgerald with the winning run, resulting in the 4-3 final.

Inside the Numbers

Milliard paced the Falcons, going 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Pingitore added one hit and an RBI for the Green and Gold.

For the Vikings, Toomey finished 2-of-5 at the dish with two RBI and a run scored, while Cedano chipped in with one base knock and an RBI.

On the mound, freshman Ryan Towle (Westfield, Mass.) was solid for Fitchburg State, yielding just five hits with three strikeout and no runs allowed in seven innings of work, while junior Brock Riley (Lowell, Mass.) picked up the win for Salem State after giving up two hits with four K's in 4.2 innings of relief.

99th meeting between the two schools on the diamond with the Falcons currently 20-79-0 all-time when taking on the Vikings.

Salem State has won five  of the last seven meetings against Fitchburg State with the two team splitting the season series 2-4/2-1 earlier this season. Fitchburg State senior Sean Maki paced the Falcons, hitting 3-of-6 with a run scored and two doubles.

Up Next

Falcons conclude their 2018 season with an overall record of 13-17-2 and a 6-7-1 clip in conference play. Vikings advance to the MASCAC quarterfinal round tomorrow as they travel to the top seeded Owls of Westfield State for a contest starting at 3:00 PM.