Baseball Drops a Pair of MASCAC Games at Westfield State

Westfield, Mass. – Westfield State University received complete-game pitching performances from Roman Mondalto and Bret Siflinger and the Owls belted 22 hits in a 6-0, 8-4 doubleheader sweep of Framingham State University this afternoon.

Westfield, 11-15 overall, is tied with Salem State for first place in the MASCAC with a 5-1 record. Westfield travels to the Witch City on Patriot's Day, April 18, for a key MASCAC twinbill with the Vikings. Framingham drops to 12-13 overall and 3-3 in the MASCAC and face Worcester State on Monday in a pair of games at Bowditch Field.

Mondalto and Siflinger tossed complete-game shutout victories vs. Bridgewater State on April 9. Although the Owl aces were not as sharp vs. Framingham – both gave up eight hits – they still went the distance in the seven-inning games.

Despite walking four and striking out six, Mondalto hurled his second straight shutout and he did not allow Framingham, which stranded 11 base runners, to come up with any big hits.

The Owls took a 4-0 lead in the third inning. The first run scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch and Jeff Ackerman clubbed a two-run triple. Jeff Cloutier plated Ackerman with a sacrifice fly.

Westfield scored two insurance tallies in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Medeiros and an error on the throw home.

Matt Kelly, who broke out of a slump with five hits in the twinbill, was one of four Owls with two hits. Ackerman, Kevin Greene and Pete Grillo also had two safeties in Westfield's 10-hit attack.

Corey Ketterer was 3 for 4 for the Rams and Will Crofton added a doubled.

In the nightcap, the Owls smacked 12 hits and recorded four sacrifice bunts and three stolen bases in support of Siflinger, who allowed four earned runs, two walks and fanned three.

Westfield led 5-0 after two innings. They scored three runs in the first on RBI singles from Greene and Josh Blair and an RBI groundout by Cloutier.

Sean Geary stroked a one-out double in the second and scored on Kelly's two-out single. Kelly stole second and scored on Blair's single by center field.

The Rams scored two runs in the third and a run in the fourth to make it 5-3. Jason Hutchinson laced a two-out, two RBI single and Christopher Blydell belted a solo home run.

The Owls tacked on their final three runs in the fifth on four hits. Cloutier rapped a two-run single and the third run scored on Geary's bases loaded walk.

Kelly was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI and Blair was 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cloutier was 1 for 4 with three RBI. Greene and Grillo were 2 for 3 as both finished with four hits in the sweep.

Blydell – Framingham's leadoff batter – was perfect at the plate, going 4 for 4 with his solo homer and three runs scored. Crofton was 2 for 4 with a double.

Release courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information.