Worcester State 16, Mass Maritime 2

Worcester State 4, Mass Maritime 3

Game 1 --- Box Score

Game 2 --- Box Score

Buzzards Bay, MA ---  Sophomore William Shouldice’s (Rutland, VT) RBI single capped a three-run fifth inning uprising to back a five-hit complete game effort on the mound by senior David Hike (Riverview, FL) that lifted Massachusetts Maritime to a 4-3 nightcap victory and a split of a Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader with Worcester State Friday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field, as the Lancers used an 18-hit attack to post a 16-2 triumph in the opener.

The host Buccaneers (4-6, 1-1 MASCAC) jumped out to a 1-0 second inning advantage in the second contest on Shouldice’s first home run of the season, but the visiting Lancers (12-5-1, 1-1 MASCAC) took a 2-1 third inning lead on senior T.J. Magnell’s (Leominster, MA) two-run single and extended that margin to 3-1 in the fifth on an RBI double off the bat of junior Corey McDonald (Hudson, MA). 

Massachusetts Maritime’s decisive rally came with two outs in the bottom of the frame, and junior Andrew Saari’s (Framingham, MA) RBI single sliced the hosts’ deficit in half, and after a single by junior Nick Levitre (Grafton, MA), a two-base throwing error by Worcester State senior pitcher Mike Borowiec (Spencer, MA) enabled Saari to score the tying run and allowed Levitre to advance to third, where he scored what proved to be the game-winning tally on Shouldice’s third hit of the nightcap. 

Hike overcame six walks to go the distance in earning the win for the Buccaneers, as he struck out five in a 127-pitch outing to improve to 1-2 on the season. The hosts rapped out nine hits in the second contest, including two by Saari, to hand the Lancers just their second conference setback over the last 16 games dating back to 2009. 

McDonald collected two of Worcester State’s five hits in the nightcap setback, as Borowiec allowed two earned runs and fanned three over five innings to fall to 1-1 on the season.

The Lancers jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead in the opener by batting around and gained quick control of the contest, as Worcester State plated four more in the second and three tallies in the third to build a 14-0 edge through the middle innings.  Sophomore Tyler McElman (Marlboro, MA) rapped out two hits and drove in five runs, including a pair with his third homer of the spring, to lead the Lancers, who also received three RBI off the bat of senior Nick Caparell (North Attleboro, MA) and three hits each from senior Ryan LaPrade (Leominster, MA) and junior Nick Fluegge (Ware, MA). 

Magnell and McDonald joined McElman with two hits as well for the visitors, as senior Joey Lucier (Brockton, MA) picked up his third victory in four decisions on the mound for Worcester State by scattering three hits and allowing a pair of unearned runs while striking out five. 

Junior Michael Vargas (Natick, MA) accounted for both Massachusetts Maritime runs in the opener with a two-run fifth inning single, as Levitre suffered his first setback on the mound in an inning-plus for the Buccaneers.

Massachusetts Maritime travels to New London, Conn. on Wednesday afternoon to take on Coast Guard in a non-league outing that begins at 3:30 PM, while Worcester State travels across town to take on WPI in a non-league match-up on Monday afternoon in Worcester, MA that also begins at 3:30 PM

Release Courtesy of Mass Maritime Sports Information