BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team posted a 15-7 victory over Gordon College on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Park.
The Bears improve to 8-15 with the win, while the Fighting Scots slip to 6-16.
Carlos Rivera Jr. (New Bedford, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI, while Randy Frazier (Wareham, Mass.) reached safely four times, scored three runs and drove in two to highlight the BSU offense.
Alex McGrath (Bridgewater, Mass.) picked up his first collegiate win as he tossed seven full innings. McGrath (1-0) allowed five runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Frazier walked to lead off the inning and moved to second two batters later when Matt Cassese (Taunton, Mass.) was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Frazier raced home on Rivera's RBI ground out.
Gordon answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third after the Fighting Scots loaded the bases with nobody out. A Dean Demers' (Sandy Hook, Conn.) sacrifice fly plated the tying run, while Christian Hodge (Waltham, Mass.) followed with an RBI double to make it a 2-1 game.
The Bears avoided further damage in the inning when center fielder Tyler Morini (Plymouth, Mass.) threw out a runner attempting to score from third on a fly out.
Bridgewater jumped back in front in the bottom of the fourth as Cassese belted a two-run triple to deep left and later scored on Rivera's second RBI ground out of the game.
The Bears exploded for seven runs in the fifth to take an 11-2 lead as they sent 12 men to the plate. Frazier, Morini and Billy Mitchell (Walpole, Mass.) each rapped two-run singles, while Ryan Feeney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) added an RBI base knock. Mitchell scored the first run of the inning and knocked in the last two.
Gordon plated a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to cut the deficit to 11-5. Demers doubled and scored on an RBI ground out in the sixth, and knocked in a run with an RBI single in the seventh.
Bridgewater tacked on four more runs in the bottom of eighth to make it a 15-5 game. A base loaded walk to Cassese and a two-run single by Rivera highlighted the inning.
Demers tripled home a run in the ninth and scored on Hodge's RBI single to round out the scoring.
Demers went 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBI as he was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Hodge finished 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Matt Moffat (Stratford, Conn.) contributed a pair of hits and a walk in four plate appearances for the visitors. He also scored two runs.
Morini (2-for-6) and Feeney (2-for-4) also finished with multiple hits for the Bears. Morini scored a run and drove in two, while Feeney tallied a run and an RBI. Cassese went 1-for-3 with a walk, three runs and three RBI. Mitchell (1-for-3) knocked in two runs and scored one.
Kevin Bresciani (Hopedale, Mass.) tossed the final two innings on the mound for the Bears. Bresciani gave up two runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Five different pitchers saw action for the Fighting Scots with starter Brian Hodges (Conesus, N.Y.) picking up the loss. Hodges (0-1) allowed four runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings of work. He walked three, hit a batter and fanned one.
Both teams are back in action on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30. The Bears welcome the Judges of Brandeis University to Alumni Park, while the Fighting Scots entertain the Lions of Emerson College.