Baseball Defeated by Westfield State in MASCAC Tournament Championship Game
Westfield, Mass. -- The Framingham State University baseball team was defeated 7-5 this afternoon by Westfield State University in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) baseball tournament championship game at Hagan Field.
Westfield State (24-16-1) was led by Tournament MVP John Gegetskas and earns the MASCAC's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament.
The Owls got the game winning run in the top of the eighth inning as outfielder Anthony Crowley tripled with two outs, and sophomore designated hitter Jake Gibb followed with a single through the left side giving the Owls a 6-5 lead.
Gegetskas came out of the pen in the bottom of the eighth and retired the final six batters, three by strikeout, and induced a groundout to end the game.
Westfield took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, as senior left fielder John Lippincott led off the game with a walk, and worked his way around to score on Gibb's first hit of the day.
Framingham took the lead with two runs off Vincenzo Camera in the second, with Matthew Brockett driving in one with a fielder's choice and Aaron Williams plating another with a single.
Westfield tied the game at two as Lippincott led off the top of the third inning with a base hit, stole second and scored on another Gibb single.
Framingham grabbed a 5-2 lead in the fourth, as Cameron Borrelli laced a bases-loaded single through the right side that scored Joe Ambrosino and Anthony Venuti. Kyle Pileski followed with a deep sacrifice fly to center field scoring Williams.
The Owls responded with two runs in the fourth, as Kyle Murphy reached on a hit by pitch. Tyler Beach singled and Lippincott pulled a double down the right field line to score Murphy. Brett Dooley's sac fly scored Beach.
The Owls tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth as Beach's sac fly scored Colin Dunn to tie the game.
Westfield got an insurance run in the ninth as Lippincott reached on an error and scored on Alex Lafayette's base hit.
Framingham junior right hander Kevin Connelly took the loss for the Rams in relief. Williams was the only repeat hitter for the Rams with a pair of hits. Joe Ambrosino scored two runs for the Rams. Framingham ends its season at 21-19.
Gibb finished 3-5 with three RBI. Lippincott finished with three runs and two hits, and Crowley and Alex Lafayette each added two hits for the Owls.
Westfield wins its first MASCAC tournament title since 2009, and will make the 10th NCAA tournament appearance in school history and the first since 2010.
Release courtesy of WSU Sports Information