Flaherty, Wladkowski Lead Baseball to 9-3 MASCAC Win Over Salem

SALEM, Mass. -- Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) and Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) combined for seven hits and six RBI to lead the visiting Bridgewater State University baseball team to a 9-3 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) victory over Salem State University on Friday afternoon at Salem's Central Campus Field.

The Bears improve to 9-7 on the season and 3-1 in the MASCAC while the Vikings fall to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Flaherty went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a run and four RBI while Wladkowski was 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, two runs and two RBI.

Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) also recorded multiple hits for the Bears who banged out 15 hits on the afternoon. Thornell singled and doubled in four at bats.

Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.) picked up his fourth win of the season on the mound for the Bears. Seavey (4-0) worked six-plus innings giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts. He also hit two batters.

Michael Cobb (Waltham, Mass.) tossed three scoreless innings of impressive relief to record his first collegiate save. Cobb, who retired eight of the ten batters he faced, allowed just two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Salem got on the board in the bottom of the second inning as a dropped pop up led to a pair of unearned runs. Yabdriel Gonzalez (New Haven, Conn.) reach on the error to lead off the frame and scored all the way from first on a two-out RBI double by Aidan Lynch (North Andover, Mass.). Connor Dolan (Rockland, Mass.) followed with an RB single to make it a 2-0 game.

The Bears answered with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third.  Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) reached on a two-out error and Keving Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) walked to put two runners on. Flaherty then smacked a two-run double to deep right to knot the score at 2-2.

The Vikings reclaimed the lead in the home half of the third. Mark Smith (East Haven, Conn.) singled, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and score on an RBI single by Owen Duggan (Billerica, Mass.).

Bridgewater jumped on top for good in the top of the fourth inning. Wladkowski singled and Pigeon was hit by pitch to start the frame. A sacrifice bunt moved up the runners and a wild pitch plated Wladkowski with the tying run. Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to give the Bears their first lead of the afternoon.

The Bears tacked on three more runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 7-3. Lindsay reached on an error and advanced to third on a ground rule double by Flaherty. One out later, Wladkowski delivered a two-run single up the middle. Wladkowski would come around to score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Frechette.

Bridgewater capped off the scoring with a pair of runs in the eighth. Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and Emerson reached on a bunt single to start the rally. After a sacrifice bunt, Flaherty lined a two-run single to left to make it a 9-3 game.

Four Salem pitchers combined to give up nine runs (five earned) on 15 hits with two walks, a pair of hit batters and four strikeouts. Kyle Banche (Torrington, Conn.) suffered the loss in relief. Banche (1-2) allowed five runs (three earned) over an inning and a third.

Smith finished 1-for-3 at the plate and was hit by a pitch twice while Jake Boucher (Wallingford, Conn.) went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks to pace the Viking offense. Antonio Belgrove (Stamford, Conn.) singled twice in five at bats.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game MASCAC series on Saturday at Bridgewater State with game one of a doubleheader getting underway at noon.\

Notes: Emerson extended his hitting streak to eight games with a bunt single in the eighth inning.