Framingham State and Westfield State Advance to MASCAC Baseball Quarterfinals
The Framingham State Rams and the Westfield State Owls advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament after winning their first round games on Friday.
Westfield State/Fitchburg State Box Score
Framingham State/Bridgewater State Box Score
Courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information
Westfield State 7, Fitchburg State 6
The Framingham State Rams and the Westfield State Owls advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament after winning their first round games on Friday.
With the win, Westfield State will travel to top-seeded Worcester State for their quarterfinal game at Noon Saturday while Framingham State will visit second-seeded Salem State at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
In the first game of the day, the Owls rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning for a thrilling 7-6 victory over Fitchburg State University.
Westfield first-team all-conference center fielder Dan McCormack beat out an infield single to the pitcher to begin the eighth-inning charge. Tyler Adams was hit by a pitch and Ryan Magni was called on to pitch in relief.
The Owls scored their first run in the eighth when E.G. McMillan reached on a fielder's choice and McCormack scored on a shortstop throwing error to first base on the 4-6-3 double play attempt.
Tim Santilli struck out swinging then the Owls rallied for four runs with two outs. Pat McWilliams drew a walk and D.J. Bishop ripped an RBI single up the middle to make the score 6-4.
Danny DiMatteo lofted an RBI single to right-center field to make the score 6-5 and Magni was replaced on the mound by Javier Lazod.
Kyle Colesanti lined a game-tying RBI single to plate Bishop, and in a key play in the game, both Colesanti and DiMatteo advanced a base, to second and third, respectively, on a fielding error by the center fielder on Colesanti's single. DiMatteo then scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch to cap the dramatic comeback.
Fitchburg was in control in the first half of the game. The Falcons took a 2-0 fifth-inning lead on a two-out, two-run single through the left side by Pierce Hans.
Fitchburg scored four runs with two outs in the sixth inning to take what appeared to be a commanding 6-0 lead as the Owls had collected only one hit at that point in the game.
Clayton Beaulieu rapped a run-scoring single and Steven Drury drew a bases-loaded walk that knocked Owl starter Peter Cassidy from the game. Hans then drove in two more runs with a single to left field off reliever Mike Sullivan.
Westfield finally dented the scoreboard with two runs in the home half of the sixth. Jeremy Tanguay singled and McCormack walked. Tyler Adams grounded out, advancing the runners, and McMillan had and RBI groundout. Following a walk to Santilli, McWilliams stroked an RBI single to right-center.
DiMatteo was the only Owl with multiple hits; he was 2 for 3. Mike St. John was 4 for 4 for the Falcons and Hans was 2 for 5 with his four RBI. Beaulieu was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Cassidy pitched five and two-thirds innings, allowing nine hits, six runs and three walks and striking out five. Sullivan faced eight batters and allowed two hits in two complete innings, while Zyrkowski retired all four batters he faced.
Kyle Cutler pitched six complete innings for Fitchburg and had a no-hitter until a DiMatteo single with two outs in the fifth. He allowed two runs, three hits and four walks and fanned six. Magni, the third of four Falcon hurlers, was credited with the loss.
Courtesy of Framingham State Sports Information
Framingham State 8, Bridgewater State 5
In the nightcap between Framingham State and Bridgewater State, junior Mark Mainini drove in three runs as the third seed Rams erased an early 2-0 deficit with a sixth run third inning to defeat the sixth seed Bears, 8-5, this evening at Bowditch Field.
With the win, the Rams improve to 20-16 on the year. The Bears finish the season 13-21.
The Bears wasted little time getting as on the scoreboard as they loaded the bases with no outs in the first capitalizing on a pair of errors in the Rams infield. Junior Nicholas White delivered an infield single between third and short scoring the game's first run. After an out, Junior Anthony Deleo followed with an RBI single to right extending the lead to 2-0. Ram senior Matt DiCato settled in and was able to induce an inning ending double play to squelch the threat.
The Rams batted around in the bottom of the third scoring six runs, all with two outs, to take the lead for good. Junior Matt Gerard and sophomore Jake Wardwell led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After an out, sophomore RJ Gray delivered an RBI single to center plating Wardwell and senior Billy Derosier followed with a single to center scoring Wardwell.
However, the Bears misplayed the ball in the outfield allowing Gray to score all the way from first. Mainini plated the Rams fourth run of the frame with a rope up the middle. The Rams loaded the bases with two outs and freshman Manny Powers delivered a two run double driving Bears starter Andy Sadoski from the game. Reliever Chris Pessotti was able to end the inning with a foul out.
The Rams tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth on a sac fly by Mainini, but Bridgewater State got one back in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Keaghan Austin-MacInnis that scored who had Colin Ryan who had reached on an error.
Framingham added another run in the bottom of the seventh inning on another RBI single by Mainini that scored Gray who had led off the inning with a walk.
In the top of the eighth Sean Brooks and Billy Mitchell hit back-to-back singles with one out. Senior Shane Varnadore followed with a base hit to left scoring Brooks from second cutting the deficit to 8-4.
The Bears opened the top ninth against reliever Brendan McDonough with back to back singles from Ryan Manning and White. Austin-MacInnis followed with an RBI single to right pulling the Bears within three. Powers came on in relief for the Rams quickly recorded two outs with a double play ball. After a walk gave the Bears runners on the corners, Powers retired the final batter with a strikeout to seal the victory.
DiCato earned the victory for the Rams going eight innings and allowing four runs, one earned, on 11 hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Powers picked up his fourth save of the season recorded the final three outs of the game with a walk and a punch out.
Sadoski was tagged with the loss for the Bears going 2 and 2/3 innings allowing six runs, all earned, on six hits with three Ks. Pessotti tossed 3 and 1/3 innings allowing two earned runs on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk. David Holmes finished the game for the Bears tossing two innings of scoreless relief.
Gray finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Mainini went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored. Powers went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Wardwell also finished with a pair of hits.
Austin-MacInnis went 2-for-4 for the Bears with two RBI, while White finished the game 3-for-5 and Varnadore went 3-for-4.