By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team dropped to .500 with an extra-inning loss on Monday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Bears were edged by Salem State University, 8-7, in eight innings in the second game of a doubleheader, which had been postponed on Saturday afternoon due to rain. The Vikings had won the opener over the Bears on Saturday, 5-1.

BSU is now 9-9 overall and 3-3 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference while Salem State improves to 11-7 and 4-2 in the conference.

Antonio Belgrove (Stamford, Conn.) brought in the game-winning run in the eighth with a single to left after Yabdriel Gonzalez (New Haven, Conn.) reached on an infield hit and moved up on a wild pitch and a sacrifice by Aidan Lynch (North Andover, Mass.).

Winning pitcher Kyle Banche (Torrington, Conn.) had three strikeouts and did not allow a hit in 2 1-3 innings of relief.

CJ Hess (Providence, R.I.) took the loss, giving up a run and three hits in 1 1-3 innings. He was the fourth of five BSU pitchers, including starter Nick Reiser (Nahant, Mass,), who pitched 4 2-3 innings.

Salem State held a 14-7 advantage in hits with Steven Simon (Hanover, Mass.) the lone BSU player with more than one hit, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Nolan Currier (Maynard, Mass.) and Mark Smith (East Haven, Conn.) had three hits each for the Vikings with Belgrove and Jake Boucher (Wallingford, Conn.) getting two apiece.

The Bears held a 1-0 lead after one inning with a Simon sacrifice fly bringing in Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.), who had reached on an infield hit, went to second on a hit by Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and to third on a flyout.

Salem State went ahead, 4-1, by scoring two runs each in the second and third innings.

Gonzalez had an RBI single to center in the second, and the other run came in on an outfield error.

In the third, Smith belted a two-homer to left after Belgrove singled to the right side.

BSU tied the game with a three-run fourth inning.

Mathew Pigeon (Canton, Mass.) and Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) drew bases-loaded walks and the tying run scored on a double play.

Salem State went back on top, 6-4, in the fifth inning on RBI hits by Currier and James Dolan (Rockland, Mass.).

BSU responded with a three-run fifth to take a 7-6 advantage.

Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.) singled through the left side and scored on a double to left-center by Simon. Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) followed with a homer to left-center for the one-run lead. For Wladkowski, the home run marked his second of the season and the ninth of his career.

But Salem State tied the game in the sixth inning when Belgrove walked and moved up on singles by Smith and Boucher before scoring on a wild pitch.

The Bears loaded the bases in the sixth inning but did not score, and they did not have a base runner in the seventh or eighth innings.

BSU is home again Tuesday for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game with Dean College.

Salem State hosts Westfield State at 3:30 p.m. Friday in a MASCAC game.