Prampin's Walk-Off Homer Run Lifts Baseball to 8-7 Win Over Immaculata

By Jim Fenton

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Senior DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) powered the Bridgewater State University baseball team to a dramatic victory Monday night.

Prampin hit a two-out walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Bears to an 8-7 victory over Immaculata University of Pennsylvania at Griffith Field.

BSU is 3-1 at the midway point of their spring break trip to the Ripken Experience after defeating the Mighty Macs.

The Bears trailed early, 4-0, then rallied for six runs in the fourth before falling behind, 7-6. BSU tied the game in the seventh and won it on Prampin's homer to right-center field.

Junior DH Benjamin Sepeck (Whitman, Mass.) had two of BSU's eight hits while Prampin, senior Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) and freshman Nick Berube (Swampscott, Mass.) drove in two runs each.

Senior Matt Kustigian (Charlton, Mass.) was the winning pitcher, going three scoreless innings in relief and allowing just two hits with one strikeout.

Prampin, who hit eight homers a year ago, has 16 in his career. BSU had lined into a double play just before Prampin's game-winning shot to right-centerfield.

The Bears tied the game in the seventh inning on a two-out double to right by Thornell, who plated Sepeck after he reached on an error.

The Mighty Macs had a 4-0 lead after scoring once in the first and third innings and twice in the second.

After Josh Goulburn (Medford, N.J.) was hit by a pitch in the first, he scored on a double down the left-field line by freshman Danny Nocito (Langhorne, Pa.).

With two outs in the second, sophomore Luke Hardnock (Langhorne, Pa.) bunted for a hit and scored on a triple to right-center by graduate student Matt Passerini (Morgantown, Pa.). A wild pitch brought home Passerini.

The lead went to four runs in the third as freshman Joey Ditta (Hamilton, N.J.) was hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a groundout.

BSU scored its six runs in the fourth with just three hits and sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame.

Sophomore Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.), senior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) and Sepeck walked to load the bases with nobody out. A fielder's choice by Prampin brought in a run and Flaherty scored on an error to make it 4-2.

After sophomore Cam Beltramini (Hanson, Mass.) doubled to left, a groundout by Thornell brought in a run.

A wild pitch scored Beltramini to tie the game and, after junior Rylan Secovich (Southwick, Mass.) singled up the middle, Berube broke the tie with a two-run double down the left-field line.

Immaculata answered with a three-run sixth to go up, 7-6.

After Hardnock reached on an error and Passerini walked, they were sacrificed along by Goulburn.

An infield hit by Nocito made it 6-5, and two unearned runs were scored on a throwing error after a single to center by sophomore Ryan Nace (Sewell, N.J.).

Junior Jaden Arruda (Seekonk, Mass.) pitched the first two innings for BSU with senior CJ Hess (Providence, R.I.) going two-thirds of an inning. Freshman Ethan Palmer (Attleboro, Mass.) worked 3 1/3 innings of relief before Kustigian finished the game.

BSU plays at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday against Wittenberg University of Springfield, Ohio at Ebbets Field. The Tigers have won four straight and are 6-3.