Baseball Cruises to 12-1 Victory in Season Opener

Northboro, Mass. – The Framingham State University baseball team received eight strong innings from senior Zack Kirby (Rochester, Mass.) as the Rams opened the 2015 season this afternoon with a 12-1 victory over Johnson & Wales University at the New England Baseball Complex in Northboro.   

With the win, the Rams are now 1-0 on the year, while the Wildcats slip to 3-4.

Kirby allowed just one unearned run in his eight innings which came in his final inning on the mound.  He surrendered just four hits with three walks while striking out nine.

The Rams took a 1-0 lead in their first at bat on back-to-back doubles to deep center from seniors Ivan Colon (Waltham, Mass.) and Billy Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.).

The Wildcats loaded the bases with one out in the fourth after a base hit and a pair of walks, but Kirby recorded a punchout and a fly out to get out of the jam.

The Rams extended the lead in their half of the fourth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of senior Kevin Driscoll (Chelmsford, Mass.) that scored RJ Gray (Lowell, Mass.), who had singled earlier in the inning.

The Rams broke the game open with five runs in the bottom of the sixth.  John Gill's (Hudson, Mass.) ground rule double to right pushed the Rams lead to three as he drove in Derosier, who had walked to lead off the inning.  Driscoll followed with a two run double down the left field line extending the lead to 5-0 and driving the Wildcat's starting pitcher from the game.  Jake Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.) reached on an error in the Wildcat infield driving in Gill with the fourth run of the inning and after advancing on a ground out Wardwell scored on a wild pitch.

The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the top of the eighth when they sent seven men to the plate.  Junior Andrew Hunton reached on a single.  On Huton's steal of second the throw sailed into center field allowing Brad McParlin, who doubled to lead off the inning, to score from third.  Kirby was able to record another strikeout and a ground out to end the threat.

Framingham State tacked on five more in the bottom of the frame to reach the final differential.  Senior Matt Gerard (Milford, Mass.) blasted a two run homerun to left to score two and Derosier picked up his second RBI double of the game.

The Rams are back in action next week with ten games at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Auburndale, Fla., while the Wildcats are back in action on Sunday when they host Thomas College.