Fitchburg State Splits With Bridgewater State
Fitchburg State Splits With Bridgewater State
Falcons edge Bears 7-5 in game one; fall 4-3 in game two
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (April 18, 2009) - The Fitchburg State baseball team registered a two-game split with Bridgewater State College in MASCAC action this afternoon. The Falcons edged the Bears 7-5 in game one before falling 4-3 in the nightcap.
Fitchburg State 7, Bridgewater State 5
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Senior Kris Breen (Griswold, Conn./Griswold) turned in a stellar performance for Fitchburg State in game-one, hitting 3-for-4 with a homerun, one run scored and a game-high four RBI. Classmate Andy Sauer (Willington, Conn./E.O. Smith) finished with a triple, a run scored and two RBI, while junior Matt Morrison (Beverly, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) connected for an RBI double.
Junior Matt Greenberg (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) was strong for Bridgewater State in game-one, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBI, while senior Brendon Elliot (Brockton, Mass./Old Rochester) added two base-hits, a stolen base and one RBI. Junior Mark Claffey (Bellingham, Mass./Bellingham) chipped in with one base-hit and two runs scored.
Fitchburg State opened the contest with a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Breen belted his team-leading sixth homerun of the season. Bridgewater State rallied back, knotting the score at 4-4 at the end of three, but the Falcons responded with three runs in the next half inning to clinch the game one victory. Sauer led the Falcon charge with an RBI triple to plate two runs, while Breen belted an RBI single for his fourth RBI of the day.
Freshman Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) tossed a complete game, seven-hitter for the Falcons (2-2), yielding only two earned runs with three strikeouts. Junior Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) suffered the loss for the Bears (3-3), allowing five earned runs on nine hits in five innings of work.
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Bridgewater State 4, Fitchburg State 3
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In game two, Fitchburg State received another solid pitching performance from Sauer, but Bridgewater State used a three run rally in bottom of the sixth two earn the draw. Sophomore John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) led the Falcons offensively, hitting 2-for-4 with one run scored, while senior Aaron Granahan (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) collected two hits and one run.
Senior Kelly LaDow (East Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) led the Bridgewater State charge with a 2-for-3 day, including a double, one run scored and one RBI, while Greenberg added a triple, a run and one RBI. Claffey was also solid in game two with a single and run scored.
It was a back-and-forth pitcher's duel for most of the contest with Fitchburg State taking a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Bridgewater State notched three runs on three hits in the bottom half of the frame to take a 4-2 lead. Claffey and LaDow ignited the rally with back-to-back hits, while Elliot capped the scoring surge with an RBI triple.
Fitchburg State threatened in the top of the seventh inning with one run and three base-runners, but Bridgewater State sophomore pitcher Billy Blaisdell (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) came on to save the victory for the Bears. Sauer tossed a gem for the Falcons (2-3), allowing four earned runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings of work.
Fitchburg State (15-13, 3-7 MASCAC) returns to action on Monday as it hosts Mass-Maritime at 12 p.m. Bridgewater State (17-12, 8-2 MASCAC) will travel to MCLA on Monday at 1 p.m.