Baseball Swept by Westfield State

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Westfield State College baseball team swept a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader with Bridgewater State this afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater.  The Owls posted a 4-3 victory in the opener and completed the sweep with a 7-6 win in game two.

Westfield improves to 20-7 on the season with the win and 6-2 in the MASCAC.  Bridgewater falls to 14-13 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

Freshman right-hander Bret Siflinger (Framingham, MA) improved to 3-0 on the season as he picked up the complete game victory in game one for the Owls.  Siflinger allowed three runs on five hits with a pair of walks and four strikeouts.

The host Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opener as senior Brian Medairos (Brockton, MA) doubled and scored on a ground out in the first, and junior Matt Greenberg (Norwell, MA) belted his fifth home run of the season in the fourth.

Westfield tied the game up in the top of the fifth as the Owls scored a pair of unearned runs on an RBI double by junior Pete Hogan (Weymouth, MA) and an RBI single by sophomore Matt Kelly (Weymouth, MA).

Senior Kevin Lyons (Braintree, MA) banged out the first of his three home runs in the doubleheader to give Westfield a 3-2 lead in the sixth.  BSC junior Greg Steele (North Dighton, MA) responded with a 400-foot blast over the center-field fence to tie the game up in the home half of the inning.

In the seventh, junior Jeff Ackerman (Beverly, MA) doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a ground out.  Freshman lefthander Jonathan Surette (Lynn, MA) relieved BSC junior starter Brian Guillotte (New Bedford, MA) and struck out the first batter he faced.  Bridgewater appeared to be out of the inning when senior Jeff Fields (Pittsfield, MA) hit a sharp ground ball to second.  The throw to first was offline however and Ackerman trotted home with the winning run.

Bridgewater got the lead runner on in the seventh, but Siflinger retired the next three batters to secure the win for the Owls. 

Guillotte (2-3) took the loss on the mound for the Bears as he allowed four runs (one earned) over 6 1/3 innings of work.  He did not walk anyone and struck out five batters.

In game two, Lyons went 3-for-3 and connected for two more home runs to lead the Owls to the 7-6 win and the sweep of the doubleheader.

With Westfield trailing 2-0, Lyons ignited a five-run third inning as he tied the game up with a two-run blast.  The Owls plated three more runs in the frame as junior Pete Grillo (Shrewsbury, MA) tripled in a run and Hogan and Ackerman followed with RBI singles.

Bridgewater cut the deficit to 5-3 with a single run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by senior Tom Couet (East Freetown, MA).  The Bears also had a runner cut down at the plate to end the frame.

Lyons belted another two-run homer in the sixth to give Westfield the 7-3 lead.  Bridgewater rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to pull to within a run at 7-6.  With one out, freshman John Garabedian (Mansfield, MA) walked and moved to second on a pinch hit single by fellow rookie David Pierce (East Bridgewater, MA).  Medairos singled to load the bases and senior Mark Claffey (Bellingham, MA) followed with a two-run single.  Greenberg then lined out to left to plate Medairos who had advanced to third on Claffey's hit.

The Bears put runners at the corners with two outs off Westfield senior closer Phil Towne (Franklin, MA) in the seventh, but Towne got Medairos to fly out deep to left to end the game.

Sophomore right-hander Aaron Messier (New Bedford, MA) picked up the win for the Owls in game two as gave up six runs (four earned) on 11 hits.  Messier (5-1) walked five and struck out five over six innings.  Towne recorded his sixth save of the season.

Kelly went 3-for-3 for Westfield in game two as he scored two runs.  Grillo finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Freshman righty Bryant Warner (Harwich, MA) suffered the loss for the Bears as he was touched for four runs on four hits and two walks in just 2 2/3 innings of work.  Surette hurled the final 4 1/3 innings for BSC, giving up three runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Claffey and freshmen Keane Costa (Fairhaven, MA) and Tyler Dennis (Stoughton, MA) had two hits apiece for Bridgewater in game two.