Fitchburg State Splits Series With Salem State

Falcons notch 4-1 victory in game one; clipped 3-2 in game two

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 10, 2010) - The Fitchburg State baseball team battled to a 1-1 draw with Salem State this afternoon as the Falcons hosted the Vikings in a MASCAC doubleheader. The Falcons notched a 4-1 victory in game one before falling 3-2 in game two.

Fitchburg State 4, Salem State 1

In game one, Fitchburg State exploded for four runs in the bottom of the second inning and held Salem State to only three hits as the Falcons cruised to a 4-1 victory.

Sophomore Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) set the tone from the hill for Fitchburg State, going the distance on only 74 pitches. The second-year hurler allowed only one run on three hits, while striking out a pair.

Junior Dave Alexander (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) led the Falcons offensively with a team-best two hits and one run scored while sophomore Eric O’Reilly  (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) added a 1-for-3 day, posting a double, one run scored and one RBI.

Fitchburg State collected all the runs it would need in the bottom of the second inning, taking advantage of a costly Viking error. The Falcons were issued a pair of walks to kick-off the frame before O’Reilly settled in for a RBI double down the right field line. Sophomore Bobby Ewing (South Dennis, Mass./Dennis Yarmouth) followed with a  free-pass to load the bases, before a Salem State infield error on Will Comerford’s (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) ball allowed two runs to cross.

The Vikings broke their scoring silence late in the contest as Steve Mucci (Wallkill, N.Y./Wallkill) homered to left center field, but Mercier shut the door on the Salem State rally to collect his second victory of the season. Junior Joe Galindo (Monument, Col./Lewis Palmer) suffered the loss for the Vikings, allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out seven.

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 Salem State 3, Fitchburg State 2

In game two, Fitchburg State received a strong pitching effort from freshman Alex Teal (Malden, Mass./Malden) who tossed a complete game for the Falcons, but Salem State rallied for one run in the top of the sixth inning to earn the series split with a 3-2 victory.

Teal went the distance for Fitchburg State, yielding three earned runs on eight hits while striking out five. Sophomore Matt Kerr (East Freetown, Mass./East Freetown) earned the victory for the Vikings, going the first five innings with only two runs allowed, while classmate Mario Padovani (Lynn, Mass./Lynnfield) collected his first save of the season with two innings of scoreless relief.

Salem State struck first in the opening frame as Geury Alonzo (Boston, Mass./Brighton) led off with a double to left-center and later scored on Mucci’s RBI single. The Vikings increased their lead to 2-0 in the top half of the fourth on Galindo’s RBI triple, but  Fitchburg State rallied back one inning later with a pair of runs to knot the score at 2-2.

In the sixth, Salem State received a power boast from Mucci as the senior captain connected for his second homerun of the day. Mucci’s blast to left center gave the Vikings a 3-2 advantage and proved to be the game-winner, sealing Salem State 11th victory of the season.

Junior Erik DiMauro (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) led the Falcons offense with a 2-for-3 performance, including a double and one RBI, while classmate John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) added a double and bunt single. Mucci sparked the Vikings offensively, hitting 2-for-3 with a base-knock, homerun, one run scored and two RBI, while junior Ryan Kane (Nahant, Mass./St. Mary’s) finished with a pair of hits.

Fitchburg State (8-8, 1-3 MASCAC) will be back in action on Monday as it hosts Springfield College at 3:30 p.m. Salem State (11-10, 1-3 MASCAC) will travel to MIT on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

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