BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State College baseball team scored six runs in the eighth inning to erase a one-run deficit as the Bears defeated Johnson & Wales University, 10-5, this afternoon at Alumni Park in Bridgewater.
The Bears improve to 11-8 on the season with the win, while Johnson & Wales falls to 4-22.
After watching the Wildcats take a 5-4 lead with three runs in the top half of the eighth, the Bridgewater State offense exploded for the six runs off two JWU relievers.
Tyler Dennis (2B; Stoughton, MA) led off the frame with a walk and came all the way around to score the game-tying run on Keane Costa's (C; Fairhaven, MA) RBI double. Jake Roderick (Provincetown, MA) pinch ran for Costa and he would score the go ahead run one out later on Greg Steele's (North Dighton, MA) RBI double.
After a pitching change, Brian Medairos (SS; Brockton, MA) reached on an infield single and then stole second. Mark Claffey (3B; Bellingham, MA) followed with a walk to load the bases with just one out. Matt Greenberg (DH; Norwell, MA) drove in both Steele and Medairos with a two-run base knock and Tory Buck (LF; Shelburne Falls, MA) followed with an RBI single scoring Claffey from third. Tom Couet (1B; East Freetown, MA) singled in Seob Yoon (Tokyo, Japan), who had run for Greenberg, with the Bears' sixth and final run of the inning.
Left-hander Jonathan Surette (Lynn, MA) earned the win on the mound for the Bears in relief of starter Bryant Warner (Harwich, MA). Surette (1-2) allowed one unearned run on one hit in two innings of work as he walked two and struck out one. Warner went the first seven innings giving up four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
Medairos paced BSC's 16-hit attack as he went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Greenberg added an RBI triple to his two-run single as he finished 2-for-4 with three runs batted in. Buck, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the sixth, was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a stolen base. Couet went 2-for-5 while Costa doubled twice in four at bats. Steele also banged out multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 at the plate.
The Bears opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Medairos singled in a run in the inning and also scored on Greenberg's triple.
Johnson & Wales cut the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth as Nick Alosco (2B; Mahopac, NY) tripled and scored on an RBI single by Teddy Katz (DH; Pittsburgh, PA) . Katz would later score on a base hit off the bat of Brian Sayers (RF; Chelmsford, MA).
After Bridgewater made it a two-run advantage in the seventh on a Buck run scoring single, Johnson & Wales answered with the three-run eighth inning. Alosco tripled to lead off the frame and Katz followed with a two-run homer to tie the game up at 4-4.
Surette came on in relief of Warner and retired the first two batters he faced. Sayers kept the inning going with a base hit to left field. He then stole second, advanced to third on an errant throw by the BSC catcher, and came around to score as the throw from center field got away.
Alosco finished 2-for-5 with the two triples, while Katz went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Sayers also had two hits in four at bats as the trio combined for six of the Wildcats' nine hits.
Lefty reliever Jeff Jordan (Woodbridge, NJ) suffered the loss for Johnson & Wales. Jordan (1-6) was touched for three runs on two hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning. Left-handed starter Nick Marine (Bristol, RI) hurled three shutout innings as he gave up four hits and struck out one. Right-hander Chris DePalma (Taunton, MA) came on in relief of Marine and gave up four runs on six hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings of work.
Bridgewater State returns to the diamond on Friday afternoon at 3 PM as the Bears host a single game against UMass Boston.