Baseball Falls in Season Opener at Johnson & Wales

East Providence, R.I. – The Framingham State University baseball team opened the season this afternoon with a 12-10 road loss against Johnson & Wales University in a non-conference contest at Pierce Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Framingham State got on the board first when an RBI single by junior Billy Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.) put the Rams up 1-0 in the top of the first.  JWU responded in the bottom of the first after a two run single by junior Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, N.Y.) and a three run home run by senior Pete Rosa (Ambler, Pa.) put the Wildcats up by a 5-1 margin.

After battling back and forth through three scoreless innings, Framingham State exploded for six runs in the top of the fifth, including a three run home run by junior Ivan Colon (Waltham, Mass.) to take the 7-5 lead.  Once again, JWU responded with five runs of their own in the bottom of the frame as a three run home run by junior Jake Dickerson (Garnet Valley, Pa.) propelled the Wildcats to the 10-7 advantage. 

JWU added an unearned run in the sixth and an RBI fielder's choice by senior James Reyes (Providence, R.I.) staked the squad to the 12-7 advantage.  The visiting Rams chipped away with a single run in the eighth and two more in the ninth, but it would not be enough as JWU held on for the 12-10 victory.

Dickerson was 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBI in the victory for the Wildcats while senior Will Crofton (Hopkinton, Mass.) went 2-for-6 with a pair of runs and three RBI in the setback for Framingham State.

Freshman Jake Marchesseault (Wyoming, R.I.) picked up the win in relief for JWU, allowing three unearned runs on five hits in four and a third innings of work.  Freshman Chris Monroe (Fitchburg, Mass.) suffered the loss for Framingham, allowing four runs on two hits in a third of an inning.

With the win Johnson & Wales improves to 3-2 for the season while Framingham State falls to 0-1 on the year.  The Wildcats will return to action on Thursday, March 14 when they host WPI in a non-conference contest at Pierce Field at 3:30 p.m., while the Rams return to action on Saturday at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

Release courtesy of JWU Sports Information.