Salem Downs Framingham, 5-3, to Advance to MASCAC Tournament Championship Round

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Fourth-seeded Salem State posted a 5-3 victory over number two Framingham State in an elimination game at the 2012 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Baseball Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater.

Salem (31-11-1) advances to the championship round on Sunday as the Vikings will take on top-seeded Bridgewater State at noon.  Framingham ends the season with a record of 26-16.

Framingham got on the board in the bottom of the first as Cam Couillard (North Andover, Mass.) singled with one out and went to third on a two-out single by Pedro Acevedo (Fall River, Mass.).  Couillard then scored on the back end of a double steal.

Salem jumped ahead with four runs in the top of the second as Matt Burgess (Kingston, Mass.) belted a three-run homer and Kevin Salines (Melrose, Mass.) added an RBI double later in the frame.  Conti gave the Vikings a 5-1 lead in the fourth with  a run-scoring single.

Salem made a pair of two-out fielding errors in the bottom of the ninth which led to two runs scoring, but Salem starter Ed Deren (Westford, Mass.) fanned Justin Forman (Watertown, Mass.) with runners at the corners to end the game.

Deren (6-3) went the distance on the mound for the Vikings as he allowed three runs (one earned) on nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts.  He also hit two batters and stranded 11 base runners.

Salines, Steve Buitkus (Reading, Mass.), Brett Cahill (Gloucester, Mass.) and Kyle McElroy (Newburyport, Mass.) paced the Salem 12-hit attack with two hits apiece.

Matt Roberge (Lowell, Mass.) went 3-for-4 to lead the Ram offense, while Couillard and Chris Blydell (Lynn, Mass.) each added a pair of hits.

Ryan Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) suffered the loss on the hill for Framingham.  Bowen (4-2) went the first 6 2/3 innings giving up five runs on 11 hits with a walk and three strikeouts.