Mass. Maritime Sweeps MASCAC Doubleheader with Baseball
Framingham, Mass. – The Framingham State University baseball team dropped both games of a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader to Massachusetts Maritime Academy by scored of 9-6 and 12-7 at Bowditch Field.
With the wins, Mass. Maritime improves to 17-11 overall and 9-1 in the league which keeps them in a tie atop the conference standings with Salem State. The Rams fall to 10-19 on the season and even their mark at 5-5 in the MASCAC.
The Buccaneers grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the first of the opener. Jake Petruzzelli (Abington, Mass.) plated the first run on a ground out and sophomore Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.) crossed the plate with the second run when the runner on first was caught in a rundown attempting to steal second.
The Rams got a run back in the bottom of the first when senior RJ Gray (Lowell, Mass.) led off the inning with a double and stole third. He came around to score when senior Jon Chapman (Waltham, Mass.) reached on an error.
The Rams tied the game in the bottom of third on an RBI ground out by senior Jake Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.) and took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single to right by Gray.
The lead was short lived as the Buccaneers sent 11 men to the plate in the top of fifth inning and scored seven runs to take a 9-3 lead. Sullo connected in the inning for a three run homer to right field and Everett Walsh (Marston Mills, Mass.) added a sacrifice fly.
The Rams made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh rallying for three runs. Ryan Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.) drove in the first run with a single up the middle. Chapman followed with an RBI single and Jake Wardwell plated the final run on a sacrifice fly.
Alex Rozak (Plymouth, Mass.) earned the win in the opener going four innings and allowing three runs, two earned on six hits. Sophomore Al Wallach (Nahant, Mass.) took the loss going four and two thirds and allowing nine runs, four earned, on nine hits.
The Buccaneers grabbed the lead in game two with a pair of runs in the first on a ground out and an error. The Bucs added two more runs to extend the lead to 4-0 after four.
The Rams loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth for Chapman. Chapman delivered with a grandslam to left for his seventh homerun of the season.
The Buccaneers took the lead back for good in the top of the six when a run scored on a wild pitch and Cobie Gerbis (Holmes Beach, Fla.) delivered a two run base hit followed by a Walsh RBI sinlge.
Mass Maritime added four more in the top of the seventh, before the Rams pushed three across in their final at bat to reach the final margin. Ryan Wardwall plated a run with a single and Manny Powers (Malden, Mass.) scored two with a single to left.
Junior Daniel Avery (Milford, Mass.) earned the win going the distance and allowing seven runs, all earned, on 10 hits with five strikeouts. Senior Dillon Corliss (Winterport, ME) took the loss allowing eight runs, two earned, on 10 hits in 5.2 innings of work.
The Rams are back in action tomorrow with a non-conference game at Brandeis University at 12 p.m., while the Buccaneers travel to Bridgewater State on Tuesday for a pair of MASCAC games beginning at 2 p.m.