Baseball Slugs Past Eastern Nazarene, 22-4

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team put together a stellar offensive performance to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season Friday afternoon.

The Bears scored more than 10 runs for the third time this season, defeating Eastern Nazarene College, 22-4, at Alumni Park.

BSU (5-5) had 21 hits and scored at least four runs in three innings against the Lions (3-9), who committed 10 errors and walked 10 batters.

The Bears, who were the visiting team at their home park, scored in every inning except for the second and eighth innings.

Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) went 4-for-6 and scored five runs for BSU while Steven Simon (Hanover, Mass.) was 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Emerson was also hit by a pitch (for the sixth time this season) and walked as he reached safely six times in eight plate appearances.

Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) also had three hits for the Bears. Contributing two hits each were Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.), who drove in two runs, Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.), who scored three runs and drove in two, and Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.), who had three RBI and scored three times.

Winning pitcher Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.) improved to 2-0, allowing two runs and two hits in six innings.

Relievers Danny Jasmin (East Meadow, N.Y.), Jack Moynihan (Taunton, Mass.) and Matt Kustigian (Charlton, Mass.) pitched an inning each, giving up two runs and two hits.

BSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Emerson was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a two-out double to right-center field by Wladkowski.

The Lions took their lone lead of the game in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs.

Elvis Rojas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) singled, stole second and went to third on a groundout. Francis Ferguson (Jefferson, Mass.) and Eduardo Labour (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) brought in the runs with doubles to right-center.

The Bears took the lead for good by scoring four runs in the third inning for a 5-2 edge.

Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) and Simon drew walks and Wladkowski reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases.

An infield hit by Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly by Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) brought in two runs and Pigeon singled to right for a pair of runs.

The lead went to 6-2 in the fourth as a single to center by Simon brought home Emerson, who singled and stole second.

BSU added 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings, getting six of them in the fifth inning.

James  reached on an error and scored on an error that occurred after a single up the middle by Emerson. Lindsay's double to right-center scored Emerson and a bases-loaded walk to Wladkowski and a wild pitch scored two more runs.

Frechette made it 12-2 with a two-run single to right-center.

In the sixth, James doubled to left and came around to score on a fielder's choice by Lindsay. Simon added an RBI single to left, an outfield error produced another run and Wladkowski's sacrifice fly made it 16-2.

BSU added three more runs in the seventh inning as Emerson reached on a fielder's choice and went to third on a hit by Lindsay. Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) brought in a run with a single to center.

Simon doubled to left for another run and a wild pitch brought home Selander.

The Lions scored in the bottom of the seventh as Eliel Florentino (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) reached on a fielder's choice and scored after a walk, a groundout and a passed ball.

BSU finished its scoring with a three-run ninth inning as Logan Petrosino (Beverly, Mass.) and Cam Grieve (Braintree, Mass.) had RBI singles and Emerson drew a bases loaded walk. Petrosino and Grieve eached recorded their first collegiate hit.

Eastern Nazarene's final run in the bottom of the inning was unearned. The Lions were limited to four hits.

BSU and ENC met for the first time since opening the 2021 season with three straight games.

The Bears travel to Rhode Island on Sunday for a 3:30 p.m. game against Salve Regina and will be home again Tuesday afternoon to face Curry College.

The Lions are at Hartford on Wednesday at 3:30.