Baseball Drops Two Close Games at Westfield

Westfield, Mass.- Westfield State swept a MASCAC baseball doubleheader from Framingham State University, winning game one with a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning, 8-7, and holding the Rams off by a 4-3 count in the night cap at Bud and Jim Hagan Field on Saturday.

THE BASICS:          

Game 1: Westfield State 8, Framingham State 7

Game 2: Westfield State 4, Framingham State 3

Records:  Westfield State (12-7, 5-2 MASCAC), Framingham State (10-11, 4-3 MASCAC)

Location: Jim Hagan Field– Westfield, Mass.

GAME 1:

In game one, Aaron Clancy's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh and final inning was the difference-maker, as he drove in Anthony Crowley with the winning run.  Crowley tied the game with an RBI single earlier in the inning.

Crowley finished 2-3 with three RBI. Colin Dunn rapped out three hits and scored two runs, and Clancy and Brett Dooley each drove in a pair of runs for Westfield.

Freshman reliever Ryan Murphy picked up the win, working just 2/3 of an inning to end the top of the seventh to set the table for Westfield's comeback.

For Framingham, Matt Fogarty tripled and scored a pair of runs, while Kyle Dembrowski and Jonathan Cloutier each drove in a pair.  Releiver Kevin Scerra took the loss.

GAME 2:

In the nightcap, the Owls topped former MASCAC pitcher of the year Kevin Connelly (L, 1-4), scoring three runs in the second inning.  Tyler Beach drove in Clancy with a sacrifice fly, Casey Boudreau singled home Jake Gibb, and Bryant Dana scored on a passed ball.

The Owls tacked on an important insurance run in the fifth inning when Steven Saucier drove in Clancy with a base hit.

The Rams threatened with a 2-RBI double from Robert Higgins in the top of the sixth, but Westfield starter Shane Bogli (W, 3-1) worked out of the jam to preserve the 4-3 lead.  Owls senior reliever Scott Strachan worked around a walk and a base hit to post a scoreless seventh inning and earn his first save of the season.  Bogli allowed just two hits in his six-inning performance.

Clancy and Gibb each had a pair of hits for the Owls. 

UP NEXT:

The Rams host Salem State in MASCAC action Tuesday at the NEBC

*Release courtesy of Westfield sports information