Baseball Falls to Johnson & Wales, 6-3

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University pushed across five runs in the sixth inning en route to a 6-3 victory over Bridgewater State University in non-conference baseball action on Thursday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Wildcats improve to 20-6 on the season with the win, while the host Bears slip to 8-12 overall.

JWU sent nine batters to the plate in the five-run sixth with the big hits being a pair of two-run doubles off the bats of Brandon Cesino (North Scituate, R.I.) and Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, N.Y.).  Tom Elkow (Morganville, N.J.) added an RBI single in the frame.

Bridgewater got on the board with a run in the eighth to make it 6-1 as Jacob Souza (Acushnet, Mass.) doubled and came around to score on Nicholas White's (Bellingham, Mass.) RBI single.

The Bears plated two more runs in the ninth to cut the deficit to 6-3 on a two-out, two-run single by Colin Ryan (Quincy, Mass.).  White followed with a base hit to bring the tying run to the plate. However, Bryan Quinlan (Pawtucket, R.I), who was touched for three runs on eight hits in two innings of relief, induced a harmless fly out to secure the win for the Wildcats.

Gian Bianchi (Johnston, R.I.) worked seven scoreless inning to pick up his first win of the season for the visitors.  Bianchi (1-0) allowed just two hits, walked one and fanned six.

Tyler Pacheco (East Hampstead, N.H.) paced JWU's ten-hit attack as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and a run scored.  Pacheco also walked as he reached safely in four of his five plate appearances. Carlos Sanabria (Pawtucket, R.I.) also finished with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Of the Wildcats' ten hits, six went for extra bases.

White (2-for-5), Souza (2-for-4) and Kevin Sugermeyer (Hampden, Mass.) finished with two hits apiece to lead the BSU offense. Sugermeyer singled twice in four at bats and scored a run.

Brian Wiksten (Middleboro, Mass.) pitched very well in relief of starter Nicholas Ciuffo (South Easton, Mass.).  Wiksten scattered three hits in 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.  Ciuffo (0-1) worked the first 5 2/3 innings giving up six runs on seven hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Bridgewater State heads to Brandeis University on Friday afternoon for a non-conference game with the Judges.  First pitch is slated for three o'clock.  Johnson & Wales travels to Great North East Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Anna Maria College on Saturday for a noontime doubleheader with the AMCATS.