WESTFIELD, Mass. – Bridgewater State scored four runs in the top of the 12th inning to snap a 9-all tie and outlast Westfield State, 13-9, in the winner's bracket game of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament baseball championships on Saturday, May 7.
No. 3 seed Bridgewater, 22-14 overall with a six-game winning streak, advances to the championship game of the double-elimination tournament where it will play Worcester State or Westfield. The championship game is Sunday at noon at Westfield, with an "if necessary game" to follow.
Westfield and Bridgewater traded leads throughout the 12-inning tournament classic, with the Bears finally breaking through for four runs in the third extra frame.
Three walks, including an intentional pass, loaded the bases with two outs in Bridgewater's final at bat. John Garabedian (Mansfield) then hit a slow roller down the third base line that he barely beat out for an infield single to drive in the game-winning run. A throwing error allowed another run to score on the play to make it 11-9. Joshua Ferreira (Fall River) drove in the final two runs with a double to deep left-center.
Westfield had scoring opportunities in the 10th and 11th with runners at first and second and one out in both innings but the Owls were unable to deliver the game-winning hit.
Westfield held a 9-8 lead heading into the top of the ninth as sophomore Andrew Medeiros (Acushnet) rapped a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth to snap an 8-8 tied. Medeiros was 4 for 6 with four RBI on the day.
But the Bears sent the game into extra innings with a run in the ninth. David Pierce (East Bridgewater) laced a one-out single up the middle and advanced to second on a walk. Ian Williams (Taunton) then drove home the game-tying run with a single up the middle. Westfield got out of the first and second one-out jam when rightfielder Alex Cloutier (Westford) made a nice diving catch and doubled the runner off second base.
Bridgewater jumped out to a 4-0 lead by scoring four times in the third, with the big blow a three-run double by Pierce, who was 3 for 7 with three RBI.
Westfield scored three runs in the home half of the third, including two unearned runs, but Bridgewater countered with an unearned run in the fourth for a 5-3 lead.
The Owls took their first lead, 7-5, with a four-run uprising in the fourth, highlighted by Josh Blair's (Westfield) three-run homer to deep left-center.
But Bridgewater used the long ball to regain the lead, 8-7, on Corey Batista's (Fall River) three-run homer in the sixth.
Westfield knotted the score at 8-8 in the bottom of the sixth when Kevin Greene (Worcester) tripled and scored on Medeiros' RBI single.
Westfield out-hit Bridgewater, 16-14. Matt Kelly (Weymouth) and Pete Grillo (Shrewsbury) were 2 for 5 for the Owls.
Garabedian was 2 for 5 with a double, two runs scored and his game-winning RBI. Jose Polanco (Lawrence) was 2 for 5 and Tyler Dennis (Stoughton) was 2 for 5 with a double.
Jim Balboni (Townsend) pitched effectively in relief for the pitching victory. Balboni (5-0) entered the game in the ninth and threw three and two-thirds innings, allowing four hits and two walks and striking out three. Ferreira earned a save, getting the game's final out with runners at first and second.
Tommy Carroll (Shelton, CT), the fourth of five Owl hurlers, was credited with the loss.