FITCHBURG, Mass. – The visiting Bridgewater State University baseball team swept a MASCAC doubleheader with Fitchburg State University on Saturday afternoon at Riccards Field. The Bears, who took all three games of the weekend series with the Falcons, posted a 7-0 shutout in the opening game of the twinbill and completed the sweep with a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.
The Bears improve to 21-10 on the season and 11-2 in the MASCAC, while the Falcons fall to 6-26 overall and 2-11 in conference play. Bridgewater is now 68-30 versus Fitchburg since 1978. The Bears reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2012 (30-15).
Game One: Bridgewater State 7, Fitchburg State 0
Graduate righthander Matt Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout to lead the Bears to a 7-0 victory in game one. Josselyn (5-1) did not issue a walk and struck out four as he recorded his third straight shutout and extended his scoreless inning streak to 34 1/3 innings.
The Bears banged out 11 hits in the contest including eight for extra bases (seven doubles, one triple).
Junior first baseman Dan Saraceno (Mansfield, Mass.) went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while freshman second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a stolen base, a run and an RBI.
The Bears sent seven batters to the plate and connected for three doubles in a three-run second inning. Senior designated hitter Jonathan O'Donnell (Hull, Mass.) led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a base hit by Saraceno. After an out, sophomore third baseman Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) plated O'Donnell with an RBI double. Saraceno would race home one batter later on a wild pitch and sophomore shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) followed with an RBI double to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
Bridgewater extended the advantage to 4-0 in the top of the fifth as Emerson doubled with one out and scored on junior centerfielder Sean Goudey's (Weymouth, Mass.) RBI triple.
The Bears capped off the scoring with a three-run sixth. Back-to-back doubles by Saraceno and sophomore left fielder Joe Frechette (Plymouth, Mass.) to open the frame made it a 5-0 game. Frechette then stole third and trotted home on a throwing error by the catcher. Later in the inning, sophomore catcher Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.) double down the right field line and came around on Emerson's RBI single.
Graduate righthander Richard Sharp (Townsend, Mass.) was tagged with the loss for the Falcons. Sharp (1-5) gave up seven runs on ten hits over 5 1/3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts.
Game Two: Bridgewater State 4, Fitchburg State 2
Senior righthander David Kerns (East Cambridge, Mass.) went the distance on the mound for the Bears in game two as he notched his team-leading sixth win of the season. Kerns (6-0) gave up two runs on five hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
The Bears pushed across a run in the top of the first inning as Emerson reached on a bunt single, stole second and scored on O'Donnell's RBI single to right.
Sophomore centerfielder Silas Thomas (Sequim, Wash.) homered to lead off the home half of the first to knot the score at 1-1.
The Bears came right back to take the lead for good in the top of the second. Sophomore catcher Eric Longley (Mansfield, Mass.) doubled with one out and came around to score on Lindsay's two-out triple down the right field line.
Emerson's clutch two-out, two-run single in the fourth extended the BSU advantage to 4-1.
The Falcons got one back in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to 4-2 as senior right fielder Vincent Eramo (Shirley, Mass.) doubled and raced home on an RBI single by junior first baseman Zachary Malek (Schenectady, N.Y.).
The Bears answered in the seventh to close out the scoring. Sophomore right fielder Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) singled to lead off the frame, advanced to second on an error, stole third and trotted home on a two-out RBI triple to the gap in right-center by junior third baseman Joey Molis (Cumberland, R.I.).
Emerson finished with two more hits in the nightcap as he went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, a run and two RBI. Emerson was also hit by a pitch as he reached safely three times.
Longley doubled and walked in three trips to the plate and scored two runs, while O'Donnell went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Senior left fielder Brendan Ferrell (Plymouth, Mass.) went the distance on the mound for the Falcons in the loss. Ferrell (1-5) allowed five runs on eight hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.
Both teams are back in action on Tuesday afternoon at two o'clock with MASCAC doubleheaders. The Bears entertain Massachusetts Maritime Academy, while the Falcons travel to Worcester State University.