Baseball Downs Curry, 11-4

By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team broke open a close game with Curry College thanks to a six-run fifth inning on Tuesday afternoon at rainy Alumni Park.

The Bears improved to 6-6 with an 11-4 victory over the Colonels at Alumni Park as Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.) drove in four runs.

BSU is now 14-7-1 against Curry (3-10) dating back to 1978.

The Bears, winners of three of their last four games, fell behind, 2-0, in the top of the second inning as George Calderon (New York, N.Y.) singled in Kyle Doolin (Stoughton, Mass.), who had singled and advanced on a hit by Aidan Finnegan (Amsterdam, The Netherlands).

A groundout by Nick Columbano (Commack, N.Y.) gave Curry its two-run edge.

BSU tied it in the third inning as Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) walked and was sacrificed to second by Pigeon. Thornell scored with two outs when Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) reached on a dropped fly ball and Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) singled in the tying run.

The Bears moved in front, 5-2, in the fourth inning as Thornell tripled to right, scoring Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.), who had reached on an infield hit, and Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.), who had walked.

Pigeon then singled up the middle for the three-run edge.

The Colonels closed within 5-4 in the top of the fifth as Reegan Thomas (Standish, Maine) walked and Tino Gagliardi (Cromwell, Conn.) and Erik Leonard (Dedham, Mass.) were hit by pitches to load the bases.

Doolin delivered a run with a sacrifice fly to center and a Finnegan single up the middle made it a one-run game.

But the Bears took control in the bottom of the inning.

Emerson reached on an infield hit, went to second on a single by Lindsay and to third on a flyout. He scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Steven Simon (Hanover, Mass.).

Wladkowski walked and Joe Frechette (Duxbury, Mass.) singled up the middle for a run. After Thornell walked, Pigeon hit a three-run double to right-center and Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) added a run scoring triple to right-center.

The Bears, who had 10 hits, were led by Thornell (2-for-2, 2 RBI), Pigeon (2-for-3) and Lindsay (2-for-5). Lindsay extended his hitting streak to ten games.

Michael Cobb (Waltham, Mass.) improved to 1-1, picking up the win with 1 1-3 innings of relief, getting two strikeouts. Starter Christian Leoscher (Peabody, Mass.) worked the first 4 2-3 innings.

Finnegan had nearly half of Curry's nine hits, going 4-for-5.

BSU is scheduled to play its first Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game Thursday at Framingham State University at 3 p.m. The two teams will also meet Friday for a doubleheader at Alumni Park beginning at noon.

Curry has a doubleheader Wednesday at 1 p.m. against the University of Hartford.