Baseball Drops Pair of Games to Brockport

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Bridgewater State University baseball team opened the 2024 season with a pair of setbacks to SUNY Brockport on Saturday evening at The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The Golden Eagles of Brockport (3-2) posted a 6-5 win in the opener and completed the sweep with a 9-3 victory in game two.

Game One: Brockport 6, Bridgewater State 5

Brockport jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Josh Indek reached on an error, stole second, stole third and scored on an RBI single by Matthew Coon.

The Bears responded with two runs in the top of the second as they capitalized on a pair of errors in the frame. With one out, Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) singled and Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) followed with a walk. One out later, Flaherty came around to score when Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) reached on an error. Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) walked to load the bases and Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) reached on an error to plate Frechette with the go-ahead run.

Bridgewater tacked on two more runs in the top of the third. Steven Simon (Hanover, Mass.) singled to lead off the inning. After back-to-back strikeouts, Frechette doubled to put runners on second and third with two outs. Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.) rapped a clutch RBI single to plate Simon and advance Frechette to third. Frechette then scored on the back end of a double steal to make it a 4-1 game.

The Bears tacked on a run in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-1. Emerson singled to lead off the frame and later scored on a two-out RBI double off the bat of Simon.

The score would stay that way until the bottom of the sixth inning when Brockport pushed across five runs on just two hits. Jason Mansell homered to lead off the frame to cut the deficit to 4-2. TJ Strevell followed with a walk and pinch hitter Quinn Mahoney was hit by a pitch which brough on a BSU pitching change. After the change, Indek was hit by a pitch and pinch hitter Brian Tietjen walked to force in a run. A Zach Eldred sacrifice fly knotted the game and Coon ripped a two-run double to give the Golden Eagles a 6-4 lead.

Ryan Peters, who worked two scoreless and hitless innings of relief, worked around a two-out walk and struck out the side in the seventh to secure the win. Peters (1-0) fanned four of the six batters he faced.

Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.) got the start on the mound for the Bears and did not factor in the decision. Seavey allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. He walked three, hit three batters and struck out three.

Shane Handrahan (Raynham, Mass.) was tagged with the loss in relief. Handrahan (0-1) was charged with two runs in a third of an inning. He gave up one hit, two walks and two hit batters.

Frechette reached safely three times to pace the BSU offense. Frechette was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored. Emerson also reached safely three times as he singled, walked twice, and score a run in four trips to the plate. Simon went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI.

Game Two: Brockport 9, Bridgewater State 3

Strevell connected for a two-run home run to open the scoring in the top of the fourth inning.

The Golden Eagles scored five times in the sixth inning highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Eldred.

James homered to get the Bears on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Bridgewater tacked on two more runs in the frame on an RBI infield single by Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) and a Brockport throwing error.

Strevell smacked an RBI triple in the top of the seventh and scored on an RBI single by Logan Wing to account for the final tally of 9-3.

Colin Pytlak picked up the win in relief for Brockport. Pytlak (1-1) allowed two runs on two hits over three innings of work with a walk and six strikeouts.

Michael Cobb (Waltham, Mass.) suffered the loss on the hill for Bridgewater State. Cobb (0-1) gave up four runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings with six walks and four strikeouts.

James, Lindsay and Jay Wladkowski (Waltham, Mass.) each reached safely twice to pace the BSU offense. James homered and walked, Lindsay walked twice in three plate appearances, and Wladkowski went 1-for-3 with a single, a walk and a run.

The Bears (0-2) take on Manchester University on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 in Myrtle Beach.