Baseball Sweeps Minnesota-Morris 3-2 and 11-5

Auburndale, Fla. – The Framingham State University baseball team swept a pair of games this afternoon with the University of Minnesota-Morris at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Rams took the opener 3-2 before securing an 11-5 victory in game two.

The Rams are now 5-3 on the season, while Minnesota-Morris is still in search of its first victory at 0-6.

The Rams got on the board first in the opener when sophomore Kyle Lippert (Carlsbad, Calif.) led off the game with a homerun to leftfield.

The Cougars tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI ground out by Jackson Gessell.

The Rams took the lead for good in the top of the fourth inning.  A pair of walks and a bloop single from junior Cameron Borelli (Peabody, Mass.) loaded the bases with no out.   Cole Josselyn (Hampton, NH) reached on an RBI fielder's choice and moved to second on an error allowing the second run of the inning to cross the plate putting the Rams up 3-1.

Minnesota-Morris took advantage of a pair of pass balls and wild pitches to tack on a run in the bottom of the seventh and reach the final differential.

Freshman Josh Jezouit (Williamstown, Mass.) earned the victory in his first collegiate start going five innings and allowing one earned run on three hits with a strikeout and two walks.  Junior Mike Andrews (Stoneham, Mass.) tossed an inning of scoreless relief, while classmate Chris Riga (Westfield, Mass.) earned his third save of the season allowing an unearned run in the seventh.

Lippert, who went 3-for-3 in the opener, got the Rams started in the bottom of the first of game two with a double to deep center.  Junior Kyle Pileski (Bristol, Conn.) followed with a two run homer to left putting the Rams up 2-0.

The Rams extended their lead in the bottom of the second.  Josselyn doubled down the leftfield line and junior Matt Brockett (Guilford, Conn.) followed with a triple to center scoring Josselyn.  Sophomore Aaron Williams (Brockton, Mass.) legged out an infield single scoring Brockett and Manny Powers (Malden, Mass.) put the Rams up 5-0 with an RBI ground out.

The Cougars pulled within a run (5-4) in the top of the fourth inning.  Thomas Eckstein plated a run with a single to left and Connor Spindler followed with an RBI single to right.  Chandler Erickson plated the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly and an RBI double by Gessell plated the fourth run of the inning.

The Cougars tied the game in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Eckstein, but the Rams answered in the bottom of the inning with the go ahead run on a solo homerun to center by Williams.

The Rams added five more in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend their lead to 11-5.  Brockett drove in a run with a single and Williams plated a pair with a base hit to right.  Sophomore Jordan Pallazola (Rockport, Mass.) plated the final run on a single to left.

Sophomore Blake Waters (East Sandwich, Mass.) started for the Rams and did not factor in the decision going four innings and allowing four earned runs, on eight hits with a strikeout.  Junior Matthew McIsaac (Peabody, Mass.) earned the win tossing an inning of relief, while Brian Quinn (Fall River, Mass.) worked two scoreless innings to record his first save of the season.

The Rams are off tomorrow, but are back on the diamond on Thursday when they face Cairn at 9:15 a.m. and Eastern Connecticut at 12:45 p.m. at Lake Myrtle.