Baseball Holds Off Worcester State, 10-7

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team, aided by a six-run seventh inning, stopped a two-game losing streak on Friday afternoon.

The Bears defeated Worcester State University, 10-7, at Alumni Park in the opener of a three-game series.

Trailing 4-2, BSU scored a single run in the sixth and scored six times with six hits in the seventh inning.

Junior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) continued his home run streak. Flaherty has homered in five straight games after getting a round-tripper in the sixth inning for his 11th of the season.

BSU (17-9) is now 8-2 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. With roughly half the conference schedule remaining, the Bears are in first place ahead of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (7-4) and Worcester State (6-4).

Senior Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) led BSU with three hits while five batters had a pair of hits each, including Flaherty, senior Philip Messina (Dunkirk, N.Y.), junior Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.), junior Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) and freshman Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.).

Lindsay now has 194 hits in his career as well as 148 runs scored. He moved past BSU Hall of Famer Ed Grueter (1988-91) into second place on the Bears' all-time runs scored list.

Worcester State (15-8) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-out RBI single to left by sophomore Tyler Normandie (Lowell, Mass.), bringing home freshman Riggs Catlin (Dedham, Mass.), who had reached on an infield hit and stole second.

The Bears, who held a 15-7 edge in hits, took a 2-1 lead in the third on two-out RBI singles by Lindsay and senior Brendan Flaven (Taunton, Mass.), scoring Thornell and Luna, who had singled.

Worcester State retook the lead, 3-2, in the fourth on a two-run home run by freshman Christopher Mondesir (Roslindale, Mass.) and added a run in the fifth on a two-out RBI single to right by senior Tyler Smith (Leominster, Mass.).

Flaherty hit his homer with two outs in the sixth inning to make it 4-3.

A transfer from Stonehill College who hit six homers for BSU last season, Flaherty ranks fourth on the Bears' all-time list for homers in a season.

John Kiely had 15 homers in 1986 and added 14 more in 1987. Chris Mercadante also had 14 in 1987 and Flaherty trails them with his 11.

BSU erupted for the six runs, sending 11 batters to the plate in the seventh and taking advantage of two errors.

Luna and senior Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) started it with singles and Lindsay reached when his sacrifice bunt was misplayed, loading the bases.

Flaven brought the first run of the inning home with a sacrifice fly and Selander and Flaherty followed with RBI singles.

Messina then doubled down the line in left, scoring two, and Thornell drove in the sixth run of the frame with a two-out single to left-center.

The Lancers closed within 9-7 by scoring three times with two outs in the eighth inning.

Smith was hit by a pitch, Mondesir singled and freshman Jack Savio (Andover, Mass.) walked to load the bases. An error on a ball hit by senior Xavier Quezada (Providence, R.I.) scored one run and sophomore Ryan Jewett (Natick, Mass.) had a two-run single to left.

The Bears added a final run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Messina, scoring Lindsay, who had singled to right.

Sophomore Jaden Arruda (Seekonk, Mass.) started for BSU, striking out five in five innings.

Senior Cameron Breault (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) was the winning pitcher with 2 2/3 innings of relief work followed by sophomore Michael Cobb (Waltham, Mass.) and senior Nick Reiser (Nahant, Mass.) who retired the four batters he faced. Breault is now 2-1 on the season while Reiser picked up his third save.

Freshman Jack Hilldred (Bellingham, Mass.) took the loss for the Lancers, striking out six.

The two teams will play a doubleheader in Worcester on Saturday at noon.