Baseball Holds Off Gordon, 11-9

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University baseball team held on for an 11-9 victory over visiting Gordon College on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Bears improve to 15-7 on the season, while the Fighting Scots fall to 6-20. Bridgewater State is 3-1 versus Gordon since the two teams first met in 2016.

The two teams combined for 24 hits and 18 walks on the afternoon. The Bears also stole nine bases to increase their season total to 79 in just 22 games.

Freshman second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases, a run and three RBI to pace the BSU offense. Junior first baseman Dan Saraceno (Mansfield, Mass.) singled twice in five at bats, stole a base and drove in three runs, while sophomore right fielder Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases, two runs and an RBI. Sophomore shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) singled and walked twice in four plate appearances, stole three bases, scored three runs and knocked in one.

Trailing 4-3 after five innings of play, the Bears sent ten batters to the plate in a five-run sixth inning to jump ahead 8-4. All five of the runs were unearned because of two Gordon errors. Lindsay worked a bases loaded walk, while Emerson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Wladkowski and Saraceno connected for back-to-back RBI singles in the frame.

The Fighting Scots answered with four runs in the top of the seventh to knot the score at 8-8. The inning was highlighted by a three-run double off the bat of senior right fielder Josh Popovitch (Tolland, Conn.). Popovitch would also come around to score the tying run as a result of a BSU error.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth. The Bears loaded the bases with nobody out as Lindsay reached on an error, Emerson singled and Wladkowski was intentionally walked. Saraceno connected with a two-run single, and sophomore left fielder Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) drove in a run with an RBI groundout to give the hosts an 11-8 lead.

Four walks in the top of the ninth inning pulled the Fighting Scots to within 11-9. Junior righthander Tyler Dasilva-Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) was called on to close out the game with the bases loaded and two outs. Dasilva-Medeiros induced a ground out back to the mound to secure the win for the Bears.

Freshman lefthander Shane Handrahan (Raynham, Mass.) picked up the win in relief for Bridgewater State. Handrahan (3-0) gave up a run on one hit and four walks over 2 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. Dasilva-Medeiros picked up his team-leading third save of the season.

Freshman first baseman Robert Dunkle (Trumbull, Conn.) went 4-for-5 with a walk and an RBI to lead the Fighting Scots' 14-hit attack. Popovitch finished 2-for-3 on the afternoon with two runs and four RBI. Freshman shortstop Jonathan McIntyre (Carmel, N.Y.), senior catcher Patrick Tevenan (South Weymouth, Mass.) and junior left fielder Ben Chase (Hudson, Mass.) also finished with multiple hits for Gordon. McIntyre and Chase each scored a pair of runs, while Tevenan knocked in two.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Salem State University for a three o'clock Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) game with the Vikings. The Fighting Scots are off until next Tuesday when they host the AMCATS of Anna Maria College also at three.