By Jim Fenton
CONWAY, S.C. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team improved to 2-1 with its second straight win Sunday.
Four pitchers struck out 16 and allowed six hits while junior Benjamin Sepeck (Whitman, Mass.) delivered a three-run home run as the Bears defeated Delaware Valley University
of Pennsylvania, 7-4, at Conway High School.
BSU opened the season Saturday by splitting a doubleheader with Saint Joseph's University of Long Island.
Sepeck's home run came in the bottom of the first inning when the Bears took a 4-0 lead over the Aggies.
Senior Danny Jasmin (East Meadow, N.Y.) did not allow a hit over the first 4 1/3 innings.
The Bears outhit Delaware Valley, 13-6, getting three hits each from junior Rylan Secovich (Southwick, Mass.), senior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) and Sepeck.
Secovich is 7-for-12 and Flaherty 5-for-10 in the first three games.
BSU struck for four runs in the first with Flaherty opening the scoring via an RBI single to right, bringing home Secovich.
Secovich had singled, moved to second on a sacrifice by freshman Nick Berube (Swampscott, Mass.) and stole third.
Sophomore Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.) walked before Flaherty's hit, and Sepeck sent a three-run home run to right-center field for the 4-0 lead. It was Sepeck's second career homer.
Delaware Valley scored a run in the second when senior Gavin Migliori (Beachwood, N.J.) walked, moved to third on a pair of groundouts and came home on a wild pitch.
The Aggies cut the deficit to 4-2 in the fifth on an RBI single by freshman Eli Scott (Pocomoke City, Md.), which scored freshman Andrew Cullinan (Charlottesville,
Va.), who walked and stole second.
Scott's hit was the first of the game for Delaware Valley.
BSU moved ahead, 5-2, in the bottom of the fifth when a two-out double by Berube scored sophomore Nick Valentino (West Springfield, Mass.), who had doubled.
Delaware Valley added two runs in the sixth to close within 5-4.
Senior Liam Martin (Manalapan, N.J.) doubled to center and junior Nathan Fisher (Collegeville, Pa.) was hit by a pitch.
A throwing error on a sacrifice bunt scored Martin and an infield hit by junior John Dzielawa (Abington, Pa.) brought in the second run of the inning.
The Bears went up, 6-4, in the bottom of the sixth as Flaherty and Sepeck singled, advanced on a flyout and Flaherty scored on an infield error.
BSU added a run in the eighth inning when Flaherty singled to left-center, went to second on a groundout and scored on a single through the left side by sophomore Cam Beltramini (Hanson, Mass.).
Jasmin worked 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs and a hit with seven strikeouts.
Freshman Logan Cormier (Athol, Mass.) had four strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings to pick up his first collegiate victory.
Senior Blake Samuelson (Millbury, Mass.) struck out two in 1 1/3 innings while sophomore Chase Beach (East Orleans, Mass.) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for BSU, recording three strikeouts for the save.
The Bears are under the lights on Monday, facing Immaculata University of Pennsylvania at Griffith Field starting at 7:30 p.m.