BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University baseball team captured the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular season title as the Bears split a doubleheader with conference rival Westfield State University on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Park.
The Bears wrap up regular season play with an overall record of 27-13 including a 17-4 mark in MASCAC competition. Bridgewater is the top seed for next week's MASCAC Tournament which gets underway on Thursday. The Owls see their record go to 24-14 (15-6 MASCAC) with the split. Westfield is seeded second in conference tournament. Both teams earned an opening round bye.
The MASCAC regular season crown marks Bridgewater State's first since 2012.
Prior to the games, the Bears held Senior Day Festivities as BSU seniors Patrick Cashin (Franklin, Mass.), David Kerns (East Cambridge, Mass.) and Jonathan O'Donnell (Hull, Mass.) were honored.
Game One: Westfield State 8, Bridgewater State 1
Sophomore righthander Ryan Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) went the distance on the mound to lead the Owls to the 8-1 victory in game one. Donahue (5-1) allowed just one unearned run on four hits with a pair of walks and eight strikeouts.
Westfield jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Owls loaded the bases with nobody out on a base hit, a hit by pitch and a walk. Senior left fielder Ethan Day (Meriden, Conn.) knocked in the first run of the contest on a fielder's choice ground ball. Graduate first baseman Casey Boudreau (Shrewsbury, Mass.) followed with a sacrifice fly and sophomore catcher Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) connected for an RBI double.
The Owls tacked on four more runs in the fourth to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Senior second baseman Zack Graveline (Prospect, Conn.) drove in two runs with a wind-aided triple to right field, while graduate designated hitter Max Silverman (Westford, Mass.) added an RBI single and Day drove in the fourth run of the frame with an RBI ground out.
Senior shortstop Damien Maniscalco (Branford, Conn.) singled, stole second and scored on an RBI double by senior centerfielder Nick Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) to extend the Westfield advantage to 8-0 in the fifth.
The Bears got on the board with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sophomore shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) singled to lead off the frame and advanced to second when the ball was mishandled in centerfield. Lindsay then moved to third on a fly out and trotted home on sophomore right fielder Jay Wladkowski's (Norwood, Mass.) RBI single.
Graduate righthander Matt Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) suffered the loss on the mound for Bridgewater State. Josselyn (6-2) gave up seven runs on five hits over 3 1/3 innings with three walks and four strikeouts. Freshman right Cameron Breault (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) pitched well in relief for the Bears as he allowed one run on four hits over 3 2/3 innings with no walks and five strikeouts.
Martin went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, two runs and an RBI to highlight the Westfield State offense in game one. Florence (2-4, 2B, R, RBI) and Maniscalco (2-4, SB, 2R) also recorded multiple hits for the Owls.
Game Two: Bridgewater State 5, Westfield State 0
Junior righthander Matthew Seavey (North Attleboro, Mass.) tossed a complete game, one-hit shutout to help the Bears split the twinbill and secure the number one seed in next week's MASCAC Tournament. Seavey walked three and struck out seven to record his first shutout of the season and lowed his ERA to 1.62.
Seavey retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just a walk over the first four innings before giving up a lead off single in the top of the fifth. He set down the side in order in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings.
The Bears jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in this one. Freshman second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and raced home on sophomore left fielder Joe Frechette's (Plymouth, Mass.) sacrifice fly.
Bridgewater tacked on two more runs in the second. Sophomore centerfielder Shane Foley (East Bridgewater, Mass.) doubled to lead off the frame and scored on an RBI single by senior third baseman Patrick Cashin (Franklin, Mass.). Cashin then advanced to second on a bunt and, one out later, came around on Wladkowski's RBI double to give the hosts a 3-0 lead.
Cashin's RBI double in the third inning extended the BSU advantage to 4-0. The Bears tacked on an unearned run in the sixth when junior first baseman Joey Molis (Cumberland, R.I.) reached on a two-out dropped fly ball allowing Frechette to score from second.
Cashin went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and two RBI to lead the Bears' ten-hit attack. Frechette (2-2, R, RBI), Foley (2-3, R) and sophomore designated hitter Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) also finished with multiple hits for Bridgewater State. Suraci singled twice in four at bats and scored a run.
Boudreau notched the lone hit of the of the game for Westfield State.
Junior righthander Ryan Robidoux (Suffield, Conn.) suffered the loss on the hill for the Owls. Robidoux (3-4) gave up three runs on six hits over two innings with a walk and a strikeout.
