Seven-Run Inning Propels Baseball to 12-2 Win Over Westminster

FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team broke open a 1-1 tie with a seven-run fourth inning as the Bears cruised to a 12-2 victory over Westminster College on Wednesday afternoon in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Bridgewater State improves to 2-4 on the young season, while the Titans slip to 2-4.

Sean Brooks (Braintree, Mass.) paced the Bears' 13-hit attack as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and a stolen base.  Brooks also scored three runs and drove in two.  Nick White (Bellingham, Mass.) also banged out three hits in the win.  White went 3-for-6 with a double, a stolen base, two runs and three RBI.

Along with their 13 hits, BSU batsmen also reached safely eight times via a walk or hit by pitch. The Bears also stole five bases.

Joseph Sever (Brockton, Mass.) picked up his second win of the season as he gave up two runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings of work.  Sever (2-0) scattered ten hits, walked four and fanned three.

Trevor Brown (Rehoboth, Mass.) hurled 3 2/3 scoreless inning of relief in his BSU debut to pick up the save.

With the score knotted at 1-1, the Bears sent 11 men to the plate in the decisive fourth inning. After the lead-off hitter of the frame was retired, eight straight batters reached safely. Jacob Souza (Acushnet, Mass.), White and Keaghan Austin-MacInnis (Lakeville, Mass.) each rapped two-run singles during the uprising, while Brooks added an RBI base hit.

Ryan Manning (Plainville, Mass.) and Travis Ritchie (Taunton, Mass.) also finished with multiple hits for the Bears.  Manning went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a pair of RBI, while Ritchie finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

BSU tacked on three more runs in the eight on an RBI double by White and two-run single off the bat of Manning.  Brooks added an RBI single in the ninth to close out the scoring.

Colton Crissman (Canfield, Ohio) suffered the loss on the hill for the Titans.  Crissman (0-2) was touched for eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. Crissman walked two and struck out five.

Jake Haubrich (North Huntingdon, Pa.) and John Jones (New Wilmington, Pa.) both went 3-for-5 to highlight the Westminster offense. The Titans finished with 13 hits in the contest but also stranded 13 runners.

On Thursday afternoon, the Bears take on Penn State Behrend in a doubleheader starting at one.