NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The Worcester State University baseball team ran its winning streak to five games on Friday afternoon with a sweep of a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference sweep of MCLA at the Zavattaro Athletic Complex. Worcester State won game one 4-0, before coming from behind for a 5-4 win in game two.
With the sweep, the Lancers complete the sweep of the teams' three-game set and improve to 16-13 overall and 8-7 in the MASCAC.
Game 1 - Worcester State 4, MCLA 0
Sophomore Sean Mahan (Woburn, Mass.) spun a gem in game one to help the Lancers pick up its first shutout win in two seasons. The last time Worcester State shut out an opponent was in the 2017 MASCAC Championship game, when Worcester State beat Framingham State 1-0. Mahan allowed just four hits in the complete game and didn't allow any walks to grab his second win of the season.
All the game's offense came in the first two innings, as Worcester State got on the board first when senior Ben Palatino (Hudson, Mass.) scored on a balk in the top of the first inning. Moments later, senior Seth Leslie (Phillipston, Mass.) extended Worcester's lead to 2-0 with an RBI single.
In the second, sophomore Jake Breton (Wilbraham, Mass.) doubled the Lancers lead to 4-0 with a two-base hit to score freshman Andrew Miller (Naples, Fla.) and Michael Mabee Jr. (Saugus, Mass.).
Breton, Miller, and junior Cooper Bigelow (Leominster, Mass.) all finished game one with a pair of hits to lead the Lancers to the victory.
Game 2 - Worcester State 5, MCLA 4
An RBI groundout from Leslie gave Worcester State the first lead of game two in the top of the third inning, but the lead would prove to be short-lived, as MCLA scored its first three runs of the day in the bottom of the inning to claim a 3-1 lead.
Just as Worcester State's lead had disappeared fast, MCLA's did as well, and on just one swing of the bat from Miller. The rookie sent a three-run blast over the wall in the top of the fourth inning to give the lead back to the visitors at 4-3.
After MCLA tied the score in the bottom of the fifth on a wild pitch, Palatino delivered a key RBI groundout in the top of the sixth to give the Lancers back the lead for the third time in the ballgame.
MCLA got the tying run on base in both the sixth and seventh innings, but sophomore Kyle Gray (Braintree, Mass.) was able to work around them. Freshman Michael Chaves Jr. (Hudson, Mass.) came up with a clutch caught stealing with one out in the bottom of the seventh to help Worcester State preserve the lead, before Gray finished the game with a strikeout. Gray picked up his fifth win of the season on the hill, going the distance and allowing just two earned runs.
Miller and senior Sam Allen (Springfield, Mass.) both had two hits to lead Worcester State offensively.
The Lancers will next take the field next Tuesday as they look to avenge last month's loss to Becker with a meeting against the next Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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