Baseball Swept by Mass Maritime in MASCAC Action

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.— After taking the series opener in Buzzards Bay on Friday, the MCLA Baseball team dropped a pair of 4-run MASCAC decisions to league rival Mass Maritime today at Bobby Coombs Field on the campus of Williams College.  The Trailblazers fell 7-3 in the opener and 11-7 in game two. With the results, Mass Maritime improves 15-12 (6-3 MASCAC) while MCLA falls to 5-16 (2-7 MASCAC).

Game One

Leading 1-0 heading to the 4^th inning, Mass Maritime scored three more with two outs in the top half to make it 4-0. MCLA answered in the bottom half and following a pair of RBI base hits by Joe Sardo (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Chris Vargas (1-for-3, RBI) which cut the Buccaneer lead in half to make it 4-2 after four innings of play.

After a scoreless 5^th, the visitors stretched the lead to 6-2 in the top of the 6^th thanks to a Jake Houston (1-for-2, 2 RBI) sacrifice fly and an Evan Vierra (2-for-4, 2 RBI) RBI single to right field scoring Aiden Weir (1-for-3). The bottom half looked promising, but the Trailblazers could only muster one run before Hunter Dean (W, 5-1) came up with two timely strikeouts to end the threat.

Maritime added an insurance run in the top of the 7^th and MCLA went down in order to give the Bucs a 7-3 game one win.

Dean went the distance pitching 7 innings allowing only two earned runs on four hits while striking out six batters. MCLA starting pitcher Nate Morse (L, 3-4) pitched 4.2 innings allowing three earned runs and six hits while striking out three.

Game Two

MCLA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1^st inning of game two when starting pitcher Joshua Bissaillon (2-for-4, 2 RBI) drove in Roshan Warriar and Matt Castillo (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI) on a base hit to right field.

A Brett Velzis (2-for-4, 2 HR, 7 RBI) three-run homer in the top of the 3^rd made it 4-2 Maritime but MCLA scored four runs of their own in the bottom half with RBI singles by Castillo, Chris Vargas (1-for-4, RBI) and Dariel Rodriguez (1-for-3, RBI) to regain the lead, 6-4.

Unfortunately for MCLA, another Velzis homer, this time a grand slam in the top of the 4^th would give Maritime back the lead for good. The Bucs added runs in the 5^th and 7^th and MCLA scored once more in the 6^th, but the Bucs would go on to take  game two, 11-7 to complete the sweep.

Along with Velzis, Maritime's Evan Vierra (2-for-4, 2 R), Michael Logiudice (2-for-3, 2 R) and Bill Gorry (2-for-3) each had two hits in the game. MCLA's Benjamin Jacob (2-for-4, 2 R) and Matt Damon (2-for-3) joined Bissaillon, and Castillo who also had two hits.

Mass Maritime's Sam Huffman (W, 5-1) pitched six innings allowing six earned runs and eleven hits while striking out five batters. Bissaillon (L, 0-4) took the loss for MCLA pitching 3.2 innings allowing seven earned runs and eight hits.

Both teams are in action tomorrow with Mass Maritime hosting Bridgewater State at 4pm and MCLA taking on Westfield State at 3pm back at Bobby Coombs Field.

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