Fitchburg State Splits With Colby Sawyer, 4-3/5-1

Falcons grabbed game one 4-3; fall 5-1 in the nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 8, 2014) – The Fitchburg State baseball team was in action this afternoon as it battled the Chargers of Colby Sawyer College in a non-conference twinbill. The Falcons took the first game 4-3 before falling 5-1 in the nightcap.

In the opener, Fitchburg State got on the board first as newcomer Clayton Beaulieu (Chicopee, Mass.) drove in the game's first run in the top of the second with a sacrifice fly to center field. Colby-Sawyer took the lead in the bottom half of the second with a pair of runs as Jon Wylie began the frame with a triple and was knocked in by freshman Nathan Frongillo. Frongillo later came around on a fielder's choice.

After a pair of scoreless innings, the Falcons struck for three runs in the fifth on five hits. Freshman Steven Drury, Jr. (Ashburnham, Mass.) sparked the surge with an RBI single and later came around to score with David Mason (Leominster, Mass.) on a two-run double from Pierce Hans (Washington Township, N.J.).

Colby-Sawyer got one run back in its last at-bat, but left the potential tying and winning runs on base to end the game.

Freshman Joe St. Hilaire (Chelmsford,  Mass.) earned his second win of the season with eight strikeouts in six strong innings, while junior Ryan Magni (W. Springfield, Mass.) got the save. Alex Drost suffered the loss for Colby Sawyer going 5.1 innings and surrendering three earned runs.

In game two, Colby-Sawyer received a complete game effort from pitcher Mike Bowse who  gave up one run on four hits as the Chargers took home a 5-1 victory.

Colby-Sawyer took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on a towering homerun to left field by Nathan Frongillo, but Fitchburg State cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fourth when Drury scored on a dropped fly ball hit by Mason. Drury led off the inning with a triple.

The Chargers created a comfortable gap in the top of the fifth inning with three runs. Rob Wallace had the big two-run single to center field, while Jon Wylie scored the inning's third run when he and Wallace attempted a double steal.

Bowse got into a little trouble in the bottom of the seventh with a hit batsman and a single, but was able to induce a nubber to first-baseman Justin Devoid who gathered the ball and stepped on the bag to end the game.

On the mound, freshman Kyle Cutler (Clinton, Mass.) suffered his second loss of the season, yielding five runs and striking out seven.

Fitchburg State (2-2, 0-0 MASCAC) will be back in action on Monday as it battles SUNY IT at 12 p.m.