Baseball Splits Doubleheader with Framingham to Open MASCAC Play

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team opened the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference schedule by splitting a doubleheader.

The Bears extended their winning streak to seven games with a 3-2 victory over Framingham State University in the opener Friday afternoon at Alumni Park, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to overtake the Rams.

Framingham State then wiped out an early 5-0 deficit in the second game and held off BSU in the final inning for a 10-9 win. That not only snapped the Bears' winning streak but ended the Rams' 13-game losing skid.

The two teams will close out a three-game series, again playing at Alumni Park Saturday, beginning at noon.

Game One: Bridgewater State 3, Framingham State 2

The Bears trailed, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the seventh when they scored a pair for the walk-off win.

Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) singled up the middle and scored the tying run all the way from first when senior Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) doubled to left-center.

After a groundout moved Lindsay to third base, and with the infield drawn in, Lindsay scored on an infield error on a ball hit by junior Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) to give BSU the victory.

The Bears (9-7) held a 1-0 lead in the second when junior Ryan Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice and senior Philip Messina (Dunkirk, N.Y.) singled through the right side. Messina stole second and Thornell scored on a throwing error on the play.

The Rams (2-13) tied it in the fourth on a triple to right-center by senior Danny Robichaud (Dracut, Mass.) after senior Dane Frellick (Fairview, N.C.) singled up the middle.

A two-out double down the line in left by senior Lucas Basile (Upton, Mass.) scored the go-ahead run for Framingham State in the fifth.

Emerson, senior Brendan Flaven (Taunton, Mass.) and junior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) had two hits each for BSU.

Junior Trey Yesu (Monson, Mass.) improved to 3-2, giving up five hits with four strikeouts and no walks in the complete game effort.

Junior Joshua Sunderland (Mansfield, Mass.) struck out four and took the loss for the Rams.

Game Two: Framingham State 10, Bridgewater State 9

The Bears were the visiting team in the second game and jumped to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first.

Emerson reached on an infield hit and stole second, then scored on a single up the middle by Lindsay. The steal marked the 87th of Emerson's career as he broke a tie with BSU Hall of Famer Ed Grueter (1988-91) for the program's all-time stolen base lead. Grueter held the record for nearly 34 years.

Selander singled to right-center, and Flaherty contributed an RBI double down the right-field line with Messina making it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Thornell and freshman Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.) drew walks and senior DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) drove in two with a single to left.

Framingham State scored twice in the first, three times in the second and added five in the third to take a 10-5 lead.

In the first, the runs came in on a wild pitch and a fielder's choice after hits by freshman Christian Cox (Shoreham, N.Y.) and senior JC Espinal (Peabody, Mass.).

Cox had an RBI single in the second with a fielder's choice and throwing error bringing in the other two runs.

A Scott Paquette (Pelham, N.H.) single up the middle drove in the go-ahead in the third, making it 6-5, and freshman Rosco Palmer (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) hit a three-run homer to left-center for a 9-5 lead. Espinal added an RBI single through the right side for the Rams' final run.

The Bears got within 10-7 in the sixth as Emerson tripled and scored on Lindsay's single through the left side. After Flaven singled to right, he wound up scoring on a single to right-center by Selander.

Emerson's triple marked the tenth of his career, one shy of Ed Nadeau's (1997-98) all-time program mark of 11.

BSU made a bid to tie it in the final inning.

Luna was hit by a pitch and Emerson drew a walk. With two outs, Flaven singled in a pair, but the Rams got the final out for the split.

Junior Ben Respress (Takoma Park, Md.) improved to 1-1 by allowing one hit in 3 1-3 innings of shutout relief.

Senior PJ Moniz (Bekley, Mass.) came on with two outs and the tying run on first in the bottom of the seventh and induced a harmless fly out to left to record his first save of the season.

Senior Cameron Breault (Buzzards Bay, Mass.), the second of four BSU pitchers, took the loss, pitching 1 1-3 innings.

Both teams had 11 hits with Emerson, Lindsay, Prampin and Flaven getting two each for the Bears while Cox went 3-for-4 and Espinal had two hits for the Rams.