Worcester State Grabs A Pair From Fitchburg State

Lancers edge Falcons 5-3 in game one battle; post 15-1 victory in nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 14, 2009) - The Fitchburg State baseball team dropped a pair of contests today as Worcester State swept the Falcons in a MASCAC doubleheader this afternoon. The Lancers edged the Falcons 5-3 over eight innings in game one, while posting a convincing 15-1 victory in game two.

Worcester State 5, Fitchburg State 3

Junior Matt Morrison (Beverly, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) led the Fitchburg State game one offense, hitting a perfect 3-for-3 with a double and one run scored, while sophomore John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) was also solid with two hits and one run scored. Sophomore Will Comerford (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) finished the contest 1-for-2 with a single and a run.

Senior Matt Hart (N. Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) and junior Nick Caparell (N. Attleboro, Mass./N. Attleboro) powered the Worcester State offense in game one, connecting for one homerun apiece and driving in two. Sophomore Johno Hinkell (North Adams, Mass./Drury) was also strong for the Lancers, finishing 3-for-4 with one run scored.

Worcester State opened the contest with a quick 1-0 lead as Hart sent the second pitch of the game over the left-field fence for his seventh homerun of the season. Fitchburg State battled back in the bottom of the third frame as freshman Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) and senior Andy Sauer (Willington, Conn./E.O. Smith) drove in one run each to give the Falcons a 2-1 edge.

The Lancers answered quickly, tallying a single run in the top of the fourth on a Caparell homerun before taking a one run lead in the sixth on an RBI single by sophomore Shane Coakley (Spencer, Mass./David Prouty). The Falcons responded with a game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh, forcing extra innings, but the Lancers rallied for two runs in the extra frames to clinch their conference leading, seventh MASCAC victory.

Mercier went the distance for Fitchburg State, yielding four earned runs on  11 hits, while striking out four. Senior Pat Good (Hull, Mass./Hull) improved to 4-0 on the season, earning the victory in relief for the Lancers. Good tossed 2.0 innings while allowing one run on one hit and striking out two.

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 Worcester State 15, Fitchburg State 1 

Senior Kris Breen (Griswold, Conn./Griswold) notched the lone Fitchburg State run in game two as the veteran leader connected for his fifth homerun of the season with a deep drive to left field. Classmate Aaron Granahan (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) added a single and double for the Falcons, while sophomore Chris Smart (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) added a pair of base-hits.

Sophomore Nick Fluegge (Ware, Mass./Ware) paced the Worcester State 21 hit attack in the nightcap, hitting 4-for-5 with a homerun, two runs scored and four RBI. Hart was also strong for the Lancers, connecting for five hits in the contest, two runs and three RBI, while Hinkell went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in.

Worcester State quickly jumped out to an 11-0 lead after three innings of play and never looked back as the Lancers earned their 18th victory of the season. The Lancers did a bulk of their damage early on, touching for four runs in the top half of the second and adding five runs in the third. Fluegge led the Lancers rally with three hits and four RBI in the first three innings, while Hart collected a double and two RBI.

Freshman Tyler Kendrick (Montague, Mass./Smith Academy) suffered his fourth loss of the season for the Falcons, tossing just 2.1 innings while yielding nine earned runs. Senior Craig McBride (Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro) tossed a gem for Worcester State, allowing only five hits and one earned run in the complete game effort.

Fitchburg State (13-12, 2-6 MASCAC) will be back in action on Thursday as it hosts Elms College at 4 p.m. Worcester State will travel to Salve Regina tomorrow at 3 p.m.

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