Baseball Drops Pair of Games to MASCAC Rival Mass. Maritime

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Massachusetts Maritime Academy baseball team swept Bridgewater State University in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Swenson Field.

Mass. Maritime won the opener, 2-0, and completed the sweep with a 5-3 come-from-behind victory in game two.

The visiting Buccaneers improve tom 15-13 on the season and 8-4 in the MASCAC, while the host Bears fall to 5-20 overall and 1-11 in conference play.

Game One

Matt Smith (Lowell, Mass.) tossed a complete game shutout in the opener for Mass. Maritime. Smith (3-4) scattered six hits, walked three and fanned two in his seven innings of work.

Casey Furnas (Boca Raton, Fla.) knocked in the only two runs of the game with a two-out, bloop single to right field in the top of the fifth inning. Furnas was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in game one.

Shawn Smeglin (Wakefield, Mass.) pitched very well in his first collegiate start for the Bears. Smeglin (0-2) went the distance on the hill allowing just the two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Ryan Kelleher (Danvers, Mass.) went 2-for-3 with a double to highlight the BSU offense. The Bears left nine runners on base and had a runner cut down at the plate attempting to score from third on a wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Game Two

Mass. Maritime rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to erase a 3-0 deficit en route to the 5-3 win in game two and the sweep of the doubleheader.

In the seventh, Nate Anderson (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) opened the frame with back-to-back singles. After a fielder's choice ground out, Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.) smacked a two-run triple to right. William Keane (Braintree, Mass.) followed with a RBI double to the gap in left-center to knot the score at 3-3. One out later, Nick Haley (Hanson, Mass.) belted a two-run homer well over the left field fence to give the Buccaneers a 5-3 lead.

The Bears loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh but were unable to score. Closer John Teehan (Hyde Park, Mass.) got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts and a harmless foul pop out to end the game.

Matt Levasseur (Milton, Mass.) belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give Bridgewater State the early 2-0 lead. The home run marked the first of the season for Levasseur. The Bears added a run in the fourth as Reed Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dominic Precopio (Framingham, Mass.).

Wyatt Major (Mattapoisett, Mass.) tossed a scoreless sixth inning to pick up the win in relief of starter Colin Thoener (Foxborough, Mass.). Major (2-0) worked out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the sixth. Thoener gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings of work. Teehan notched his third save of the season.

Alex McGrath (Bridgewater, Mass.) hurled five scoreless innings on the mound for the Bears, but did not factor in the decision. McGrath allowed just one hit, walked six and struck out four.

Jarrett Archambault (Seekonk, Mass.) was tagged with the loss in relief. Archambault (0-4) was charged with three runs on three hits after entering the game with two runners on and nobody out in the seventh.

Haley went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and the game-winning home run. Pike was the only Bear with multiple hits as he was 2-for-3 with a double.

Mass. Maritime left eight runners on base in game two, while Bridgewater State stranded 11 including the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh innings.

The Bears entertain Curry College on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30, while the Buccaneers host Wentworth on Thursday afternoon also at 3:30.