Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Baseball team (1-10, 0-0) opens up their conference play today as they welcome the MCLA Trailblazers (3-10, 0-0) in a rescheduled rematch. After the rain of the past week forced a move of the three game set, the Lancers began their season with a 7-inning double header with MCLA and a single nine inning game is to be rescheduled to a later date this season.

Final- Game 1

MCLA: 5

Worcester State: 4

Final- Game 2

MCLA: 2

Worcester State: 22

How it Happened:

Senior Ben Smith (Bourne, MA) would get the opening conference tab, and while getting two on early in the first two innings he managed to keep the Trailblazers without a run until Ryan Jewett would double to centerfield bring home sophomore Aaron Siegal (Abington, MA) for the opening run of the game in the bottom of the second. Smith and his fielders would continue to shut down the Trailblazers through the fourth. The bottom of the fourth would have the Lancers add another two runs to their score as a Jewett triple back to center field would bring Nathan Thurber across home plate. The following first year Jeremy DeLacruz  (Lowell, MA) single would bring Jewett home and a 3-0 lead for Worcester.

The fifth inning would have MCLA respond with a run of their own on a double by Givhans, who while called out trying to make it to third to extend his bases, did send home Galan to knock the zero off the scoreboard. Senior Tyler Smith (Leominster, MA) would get that run back and push the lead back to three runs with a solo homer right over the left field fence to grab his first home run of the season. Worcester State would load the bases and result in a pitching change for the Trailblazers, who buckled down and forced the Lancers to go down swinging and with a popup to get out of the inning with just the single run of damage. 

The top of the sixth would see senior Danny DiMassimo (Pittsfield, MA) step in for Smith with a single base runner on. He would strike out the first before Mazzeo would single to right field putting two runners on base. A failed pick off attempt would result in the ball bouncing past first and a run number one of the inning coming across before a following sacrifice fly would send Mazzeo home and cut the Lancers lead to just a single run. 

Sophomore Nolan Turner (Barnstable, MA) came in to close out the seventh but a Trailblazers two run blast to center field would put the Worcester win in jeopardy. Worcester would attempt to at least grab the tying run in the bottom of the seventh but the Trailblazers were able to prevent the Lancers offense from connecting for more clutch runs, with MCLA taking the 5-4 first game victory. 

Game number two would see junior Mike Bean (Tampa, FL) on the mound working to shut MCLA down which he would find success in to open the game. The Lancer offensive unit would answer the call in the bottom of the inning as senior Tom Halliwell (Leominster, MA) would come home after a double turned triple off a center fielder error and be brought home with the next at bat of junior Anthony Iamarone (Providence, MA). A sophomore Joe Auger (Lowell, MA) home run to deep centerfield would bring home two runs and an early 3-0 lead. 

Bean and the defensive unit would keep MCLA shutout in the second but come away with a run of their own at the bottom of the inning as Jewett would cross home plate on a passed ball by the Trailblazers to jump up to a 4-0 lead. The top of the third would see MCLA get one run back on a first pitch first batter home run over the left field fence. Bean would then load the bases up with one out recorded, but kept his calm composure as she struck out and forced a ground out to come out of the inning with just the one run.

The bottom of the third would see additional runs for Worcester as Thurber and DeLacruz would coe home off a throwing error by the pitcher attempting to grab the grounded out on Jewett. A single by Tyler Smith would bring Jewett home who had stolen third to be in prime scoring position. Iamarone would then nail a dinger over the center fielder's head to send Smith home and find himself seated on second with the score currently 8-1 in Worcester's favor. 

Worcester would extend their lead in the bottom of the fifth as Halliwell would double bringing in Jewett and Smith to move the Lancer lead to 10-1. An Auger single would bring in number 11 for Worcester State followed by Siegal getting to second on an error by the MCLA third baseman which would send in Iamarone for run 12. Auger would bring in the 13th run on a passed ball before MCLA would grab their first out of the inning. Junior Mason Bates (Shrewsbury, MA) would then single to left field with the bases loaded to add an additional run on the Worcester side. 

The bottom of the sixth would see the Lancers add an additional five runs to the scoreboard to wrap up their scoring at 22 runs while MCLA would respond with one more run in the top of the seventh before the game was called as a result of darkness.

What' Next:

Worcester State now moves to (2-11, 1-1) and is scheduled to play the long awaited nine inning matchup with MCLA at Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams.