Baseball Falls into Loser's Bracket with 7-3 Loss to Salem State
Salem, Mass. – The Framingham State University baseball team dropped into the loser's bracket of the 2013 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Baseball Championship after being defeated 7-3 this afternoon by top seed Salem State University.
Richard Fecteau (Lynn, MA) went 3-for-5 and Steve Buitkus (Reading, MA) hit a leadoff home run for the Vikings who improve to 24-13 on the year. The Rams (17-22) will face third seed Westfield State in an elimination game later this afternoon. The two teams met yesterday afternoon with the Rams taking a 9-3 victory.
Buitkus opened the game with his second home run of the year, and Fecteau added a first inning RBI single that gave the Vikings a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth sophomore Matt Gerard (Milford, Mass.) put the Rams on the board with an RBI single that made the score 2-1.
Framingham State tied the game in the sixth as Gerard doubled. Following a walk to Ivan Colon (Waltham, Mass.), Salem State freshman Mike Davis (Peabody, Mass.) relieved starter Ryan Sharp (Townsend, Mass.). Sophomore infielder Cameron Couillard (North Andover, Mass.) greeted Davis with a base hit to even the score.
Sharp went five and two thirds and gave up seven hits and two earned runs.
In the bottom of the 7th, with two on pinch-hitter Genaro Ciulla (Peabody, Mass.) hit a ball in the hole to the right side. Framingham second baseman Colon made a great diving save, but his throw to first was off the bag and Matt Burgess (Kingston, Mass.) scored from second to give Salem State a 3-2 lead.
Framingham State answered in the next inning when Couillard delivered an RBI single that tied the game at 3-3.
The Vikings batted around and scored four times to take a 7-3 lead in the eighth. The Vikings took the lead on a single, and three straight walks, including one to Kevin Salines (Melrose, MA) who worked a walk on a controversial call after falling behind, 0-2. The walk to Salines scored the go-ahead run for the Vikings. Ryan Beliveau (Lynn, Mass.) and Buitkus came home on the walk and hit batter. Fecteau then laced a single to right that score two more runs extending the Vikings led 7-3.
Sophomore Thomas Simas (Cambridge, Mass.) replaced Framingham State starting pitcher Ryan Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) and retired the side to stem the rally.
Davis went three and a third innings and allowed just a run on three hits to pick up the win.
Bowen went seven and two thirds innings surrendering seven hits with four walks and a strikeout in the loss.
Salem State will play the winner of Framingham State-Westfield State matchup in the championship round at noon.