WORCESTER, Mass. -- Worcester State saw the tying run thrown out at home plate in the top of the ninth inning as they dropped a 2-1 defeat to Clark University in a non-conference baseball game on Wednesday afternoon at Granger Field.

The Lancers fall to 9-10 on the year and will travel to Westfield State tomorrow for the first game of a three-game MASCAC set. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM in a game that was moved up from Saturday due to impending weather.

Clark (12-8) has now won two straight games, and will welcome Coast Guard to Granger Field on Friday beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Justin Pena (Mansfield, Mass.), Kevin Zarnoch (Boston, Mass.), Brett Bucklin (Lynn, Mass.) and Jarret Morrill (Chelmsford, Mass.) allowed just one earned run and three hits while striking out seven, but were outdueled by Clark junior Casey Gorczyca, who went seven innings of one-hit shutout ball. Gorczyca struck out 9 and improved to 1-0 on the year.

Clark took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when first-year Carter Doran scored on a wild pitch. They extended the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh when Doran stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher.

Thomas DiBattista (Hudson, Mass.) singled to right field to lead off the top of the ninth and scored on a double to left by Michael Chaves, Jr., cutting the deficit to 2-1 with one out. 

The Lancers attempted to tie the game on a squeeze play, but the ball was in the dirt and Sean Dutton (Leominster, Mass.) was tagged out at home. 

With Chaves now on third, Clark graduate student Sean Savage got Anthony Iamarone (Providence, R.I.) to strike out swinging to earn his first save of the year.

Besides Chaves and DiBattista, only Grant Hartley (Auburn, Maine) and Sean Devin (Lynn, Mass.) recorded base hits for the Lancers.