AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Worcester State University baseball executed several successful squeeze plays on Thursday evening to help them take a lead, the final time securing a walk off with a 5-4, 11-inning victory over North Park at Lake Myrtle Stadium.
Chris Ausiello (Tyngsboro, Mass.) got down the bunt that brought home Tyler Smith (Leominster, Mass.) from third base in the bottom of the 11th to help the Lancers (3-5) collect their first win on their Spring Break trip to Florida.
The Lancers scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to grab a 4-3 advantage, and then, after the Vikings (4-8) tied the game, turned the ball over to Brett Bucklin (Lynn, Mass.) who shut down North Park in extra innings to put his team in position to score the game-winning run.
Bucklin secured the victory (1-1) after throwing two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts.
The teams traded runs in the first inning and then put up zeroes until the fifth, when North Park scratched out runs in two straight innings to take a 3-1 lead.
Alex Sorenti-Burns (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) had three hits, and tripled to center field to score Zack Roberts (Northbridge, Mass.) and tie the game at 3, and then gave the Lancers a 4-3 lead when he scored on a bunt single by catcher Michael Chaves, Jr. (Hudson, Mass.).
Freshman Richie Silva (Miami, Fla.) led off the top of the ninth with a double down the right field line and came around to tie the game at four.
The Vikings took advantage of errors in both the fifth and the sixth inning when they plated runs. Cole Fiorenza (Libertyville, Ill.) crossed the plate for the second time on the day on a wild pitch uncorked by Lancer starter Ben Smith (Bourne, Mass.), who went six innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out six. Danny DiMassimo (Pittsfield, Mass.) went three innings of relief, allowing just two hits and one run.
Worcester State heads to Chain of Lakes stadium tomorrow for a 4:00 PM game against Endicott College. They will also takeover the Worcester State athletic department Instagram account (wsulancers) to give fans an inside look at their trip to Florida.