COCOA, Fla. -- The Bridgewater State College baseball team opened the 2009 season with a 6-5 victory over Old Westbury University this afternoon in Cocoa, Florida.
Sophomore right-hander Brian Guillotte (New Bedford, MA) picked up the win out of the bullpen for the Bears as he threw 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Guillotte (1-0) entered the game in the bottom half of the fourth inning after Old Westbury had plated four runs in the frame to knot the game at 5-5. He retired ten of the 12 batters he faced yielding just a single and a hit batsmen.
BSC got on the board in the first inning as senior second baseman Brad Koneski (Dighton, MA) and junior third baseman Mark Claffey (Bellingham, MA) were each hit by a pitched ball to put two runners on with nobody out. Senior catcher Kelly LaDow (Falmouth, MA) brought Koneski in with the first run of the game as he grounded a single through the left side of the infield.
The Bears made it a 3-0 advantage with a pair of runs in the second. With one away, sophomore left fielder Jeff Poupolo (Brockton, MA) doubled and advanced to third on a ground out. Junior shortstop Brian Medairos (Brockton, MA) singled home Poupolo and moved to second on the throw to the plate. Koneski then knocked Medairos in with a solid single to left.
After Old Westbury cut the deficit to 3-1 with a run in the fourth, Bridgewater tacked on two more highlighted by RBI singles from Poupolo and sophomore right fielder Greg Steele (North Dighton, MA).
Junior right-hander Sean O'Neill (Norwood, MA) got the start on the hill for the Bears but was relieved by Guillotte after surrendering four runs and the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. O'Neill allowed five earned runs on ten hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. He walked one, struck out two and was called for two balks.
Bridgewater would plate the game-winning run in the top of the eighth as senior center fielder J.T. Mooney (North Attleboro, MA) led of the frame with a base hit and then promptly stole second. After a ground out moved Mooney over to third, senior first baseman David Kiloski (Lowell, MA) knocked in the tie-breaking run with a base hit to right.
Koneski, LaDow, Mooney, Poupolo and Medairos each had two hits to highlight the Bears' 14-hit attack. All nine batters in BSC's starting lineup got at least on hit, while six different players recorded an RBI and five scored a run.