Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader with MCLA

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College baseball team swept a MASCAC doubleheader with MCLA this afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater.  The host Bears posted an 8-4 victory in the opener and completed the sweep with a 12-2 win in game two.

Bridgewater improves to 16-14 on the season and 7-3 in the MASCAC with the pair of wins, while MCLA falls to 8-18 overall and 1-9 in conference play.

In game one, Bridgewater erased a 4-0 deficit with a six-run fourth inning as the Bears came away with the 8-4 triumph.

Junior right-hander Jeff Puopolo (Brockton, MA) improved to 5-2 on the season as he went the distance allowing four runs on just four hits.  Puopolo, who has won each of his last four starts, walked four and struck out a career-high 11 batters.

Senior Tim Burns (Pittsfield, MA) staked the visiting Trailblazers to the 4-0 advantage with a big bases clearing three-run double in the fourth.  MCLA had taken a 1-0 lead in the third inning as sophomore Rick Massey (Cheshire, MA) scored on a balk.

Bridgewater, however, answered with the six runs in the bottom half of the inning.  Junior Greg Steele (North Dighton, MA) and freshman Tyler Dennis (Stoughton, MA) were each hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the frame, while senior Brian Medairos (Brockton, MA) drove in a run with an RBI single and junior Matt Greenberg (Norwell, MA) added an RBI ground out.  Junior Ian Williams (Taunton, MA) capped off the Bears' six-run uprising with a two-run single.

Bridgewater pushed across a pair of insurance runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Greenberg (2-for-4) and a run scoring single by Medaioros (2-for-4, 2 RBI).

Junior right-hander Sean Hermance (Elizaville, NY) suffered the loss for MCLA as he was touched for six runs on five hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings of work.  Four of the six runs were unearned as the Bears' leadoff batter in the fourth inning reached on an error.

In game two, Bridgewater exploded for 11 runs in the fifth inning as the Bears came away with a sweep of the twinbill with the 12-2 win.

Sophomore righty Jim Balboni (Townsend, MA) remained unbeaten on the season as he improved to 6-0 with the complete game victory.  Balboni allowed just two runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts as he lowered his earned run average to 2.47.

The Bears had eight hits as well as three walks and a hit batsmen in the 11-run fifth inning.  Seven of the eight hits were singles.  Freshman John Garabedian (Mansfield, MA) had the only extra base hit as he tripled and came around to score the first run of the frame on a run scoring single by Medairos. Medairos, who went 3-for-4 in game two with a stolen base and three runs scored, would added another RBI base hit later on in the frame.

Senior Tom Couet (East Freetown, MA) was the only other Bears with multiple hits as she went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.  Steele reached safely in all three of his plate appearances as he singled in a run, walked and was hit by a pitch.

Burns added two more hits for the Trailblazers in game two as he went 4-for-6 in the twinbill with four runs batted in.  He doubled in a run and came around to score on an RBI single by junior Bobby Beauchesne (Lowell, MA) to give MCLA a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth.

MCLA senior right-hander James Greeley (Auburndale, MA) gave up nine runs on six hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings in the losing effort.  Greeley (2-5) also hit two batters and struck out four.

Bridgewater State returns to the diamond on Monday afternoon as the Bears host UMass Dartmouth at 3:30 PM in a non-conference game.  Bridgewater will then entertain Mass. Maritime Academy in a MASCAC doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon starting at 2 PM.  MCLA travels to Westfield State College for a conference doubleheader with the Owls also beginning at two o'clock.