Baseball Holds Off Penn College, 13-10

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Bridgewater State University baseball team held off Penn College of Technology, 13-10, on Monday morning at the Ripken Experience Complex in Myrtle Beach, Florida.

The Bears even their record at 2-2 with the win, while the Wildcats fall to 2-3.

Bridgewater banged out 11 hits in the contest. The Bears also stole eight bases and took advantage of six walks, a hit by pitch and six Penn College errors.

Sophomore left fielder Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a double, two stolen bases, a pair of sacrifice flies, three runs scored and four runs batted in to pace the BSU offense, while junior first baseman Dan Saraceno (Mansfield, Mass.) was 2-for-5 at the plate with a home run and three RBI.

Freshman centerfielder Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.), sophomore right fielder Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) and senior designated hitter Jonathan O'Donnell (Hull, Mass.) also finished with multiple hits for the Bears. Emerson went 2-for-5 with a walk, a double, three stolen bases, two runs and an RBI, while Wladkowski singled three times in five at bats, stole a base and scored a run. O'Donnell finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a walk, two runs and an RBI.

Senior righthander Patrick Cashin (Franklin, Mass.) picked up his first collegiate win on the mound for the Bears. Cashin gave up six runs, only three of which were earned, on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings with a walk and four strikeouts.

The Bears scored in each of the first five innings to open up an 11-3 lead. Bridgewater pushed across two runs in the fifth on an RBI groundout and a Wildcat error. Emerson smacked an RBI double and Frechette knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second. Saraceno cranked his first home run in a BSU uniform in the third, while O'Donnell added an RBI single in the frame. Saraceno singled home a run in the fourth and Frechette added two-run single in a four-run fifth inning.

After the Wildcats took advantage of two Bridgewater errors to push across three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Bears answered with a pair of runs in the seventh to take a 13-6 lead. Frechette plated a run with sacrifice fly, while Saraceno capped off the BSU scoring with an RBI groundout.

Senior left fielder Jacob Carles (Bernville, Pa.) cranked a two-run homer in the eighth to cut the deficit to 13-8. The Wildcats rallied for two more runs in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate with one out, but BSU junior reliever Tyler Dasilva-Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) retired the next two hitters on a strikeout and fly out to end the game.

Freshman catcher Nathan Gustkey (Philipsburg, Pa.) went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and three RBI to pace the Wildcats' 13-hit attack. Carles (2-4, 2B, HR) also finished with multiple hits for Penn College as did junior centerfielder Jake Wagner (Palmyra, Pa.) and junior first baseman Tyler Rudolph (Hemlock, N.Y.). Wagner singled twice, walked and scored two runs in four plate appearances, while Rudolph went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.

Two Wildcat pitchers combined to give up 13 runs (eight earned) on ten hits with six walks and seven strikeouts over the first seven innings. Freshman Kevin Cute (Glenside, Pa.) tossed two scoreless innings of relief with one strikeout.

Bridgewater State's trip to Myrtle Beach continues on Tuesday afternoon when the Bears take on Montclair State University at 1:30.