BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University baseball team split a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) doubleheader against Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Tuesday afternoon at Hendy Field. Bridgewater won the opener, 5-3, while Mass. Maritime earned the split with a rain-shortened 7-4 victory in game two.
The Bears see their record go to 8-11 on the season and 5-4 in the MASCAC, while the host Buccaneers are now 6-16 overall and 3-6 in conference play.
Game One
Senior lefthander Greg Cavaioli (Leominster, Mass.) went six solid innings to earn his first win of the season in game one for the Bears. Cavaioli (1-1) gave up just one unearned run on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
A first-inning sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Dylan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.) staked Mass. Maritime to the early 1-0 lead. Cavaioli, however, kept the Buccaneers off the scoreboard over the next five innings.
The Bears tied it at 1-1 in the top of the third as freshman Liam Bell (Wells, Maine) led off the inning with a walk, moved to third on a base hit by classmate Ruben Gonzalez (Stoughton, Mass.) and raced home on senior Kevin Bresciani's (Hopedale, Mass.) sacrifice fly.
Bridgewater pushed across three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. With one out, Bell was hit by a pitch and Gonzalez followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Bresciani's RBI ground out plated Bell with the first run of the inning. After senior Dominic Precopio (Framingham, Mass.) drew a walk, junior Jonathan Livolsi (Bridgewater, Mass.) delivered a two-double to give the Bears' a three-run cushion.
The Bears tacked on a run in the seventh. Bell extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a lead-off base hit, moved to third on a bunt single by Gonzalez and a throwing error, and scored on Bresciani's fielder's choice ground out.
Mass. Maritime rallied for a pair of runs of BSU sophomore reliever David Kerns (Cambridge, Mass.) in the seventh but the comeback bid would fall short. An RBI double by senior Marley Dembitzki (North Dartmouth, Mass.) and a two-out RBI single by Sullo cut the deficit to 5-3. After a walk loaded the bases, Kerns induced a harmless pop up back to the mound to end the game.
Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored to lead the BSU offense, while Bell went 1-for-2 with a walk and three runs scored. Bresciani drove in three of the Bears' five runs.
Sophomore right-hander Lucas Estevez (Tampa, Fla.) allowed four runs on three hits over five innings in the setback for the Buccaneers. Estevez (0-1) walked five and fanned two.
Senior Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass.) and freshman Michael Doyle (Boston, Mass.) notched two hits apiece to pace the Maritime offense. Sances went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored, while Doyle singled twice and walked in four plate appearances.
Game Two
Mass. Maritime scored six times in the third inning en route to a 7-4 victory in six innings in game two. The game was called in the top of the sixth inning with two outs after three BSU runs had come across on a hit by pitch and five consecutive walks.
Junior Nick Haley (Hanson, Mass.) belted a grand slam and sophomore Ben Paine (Dartmouth, Mass.) added a two-run single in the six-run third.
Precopio singled and score on Livolsi's RBI double in the top of the fourth for the Bears' lone run of the game.
The Buccaneers capped off the scoring with a run in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back walks to Sullo and junior Ethan O'Hare (Marshfield, Mass.) followed by an RBI single by Paine.
With the rain coming down, the Bears rallied in the top of the sixth and scored three runs on three straight bases loaded walks when the game was called.
Senior right-hander Brian Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass.) allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings to pick up his first win of the season for the Bucs. Kwedor (1-5) scattered five hits, walked three and struck out eight.
Junior lefthander Alex McGrath (Bridgewater, Mass.) gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits in three innings in the loss for the Bears. McGrath (1-1) walked two and fanned five.
Dembitzki (2-for-4), Paine (2-for-3, 3 RBI) and junior Jackson Simone (Seattle, Wash.) notched two hits apiece to lead the Maritime offense in game two. Simone went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Bell went hitless in game two as his 15-game hitting streak came to an end.
In upcoming action, the Bears entertain non-conference foe Curry College on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30, while the Buccaneers host MASCAC rival MCLA on Friday afternoon at 3:30.