Worcester State 2, Fitchburg State 0
Worcester State 15, Fitchburg State 4
Game 1 --- Box Score
Game 2 --- Box Score
Worcester, MA – The Worcester State College baseball team
swept the visiting Falcons of Fitchburg State College Tuesday
afternoon at Tivnan Field getting themselves back into the thick of
the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference playoff race.
The Lancers won by scores of 2-0 and 15-4 to improve to 10-14 (4-4
MASCAC) on the year. Fitchburg State falls to 6-16 (2-6
MASCAC).
Worcester State got a strong 6 2/3 inning effort from starting
pitcher Pat Good (Hull, MA) who gave up 7 hits and
struck out 3 while keeping the Falcons off the board. Junior
Andy Cunningham (Leicester, MA) came in with two
outs in the top of the 7th and struck out the final batter of the
game to earn his first save of the year.
Worcester State got the only run they would need in the bottom of
the first frame when Chris Gusha (Rutland, MA)
singled home Matt Hart (Easton, MA) who led off
the inning with a walk. The Lancers added an insurance run in the
bottom of the third inning when Gusha got his second RBI of the
game driving home Ryan Hawley (Shrewsbury, MA) who
singled earlier in the inning.
Good improved to 2-2 with the win while Falcon starter
Keith Weagle (Oxford, MA) took the loss.
Gusha and senior Chris Logan (Spencer, MA) each
had a pair of hits in game 1. Jim Abreau
(Mansfield, MA) had a pair of hits for the Falcons.
In game 2, Fitchburg got out to a, 4-0, lead after 1 ½
scoring three runs in the top of the first and a single run in the
top of the second inning. Fitchburg scored their runs with a two
out rally in the first. A double by sophomore Matt
Slattery (Gardner, MA) scored John Phelan
(Walpole, MA) to give the Falcons a, 1-0, lead. Ricky
Graham (Walpole, MA) followed with an infield hit plating
junior Kris Breen (Griswold, CT) who was
intentionally walked earlier in the inning. Catcher AJ
Balderelli (Holland, MA) drove in the final run of the
inning with a RBI double scoring Slattery. In the second, Abreau
drove in the final Fitchburg State run of the day when he knocked
home Andrew Sauer (Willington, CT) who got on via
a one out single up the middle.
Worcester State got it rolling in the bottom of the second inning.
Gusha led off the inning with a single and senior Nate
Nelson (Worcester, MA) brought him home with his 5th
homerun of the year. In the bottom of the third inning, the Lancers
got all the runs they would need as they took a, 5-4, lead. Hart
walked and Hawley followed with a single through the left side
moving Hart to third. Hart scored the Lancers’ third run of
the game when Logan hit a shot that the third baseman
couldn’t handle. Gusha tied the game with a sacrifice fly to
left plating Hawley. Nelson accounted for the game winning RBI with
a sacrifice fly to right field.
Worcester State went on to score 7 runs in the fourth and three
more in the fifth for the, 15-4, final score.
Freshman Bobby DeVito (Webster, MA) earned his
second win of the season.
Hawley had a big second game for Worcester State going 3-for-4 with
three runs scored. Gusha and Nelson were both 2-for-2 with 2 runs
scored. Gusha drove in 4 runs while Nelson drove in 3.