By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team scored nine first-inning runs en route to an 18-2 victory over Salem State University Friday afternoon.

The Bears had a season-high run total while improving to 12-7, 3-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.

BSU has won three straight games and 10 of the last 11 since getting off to a 2-6 start.

The Vikings fell to 6-9 and 2-2 in the MASCAC after losing the opener of a three-game series with BSU.

The Bears had 16 hits with senior Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.), Brendan Flaven (Taunton, Mass.), junior Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.), junior Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, Mass.), junior Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) and senior Philip Messina (Dunkirk, N.Y.) getting two each.

Messina had a grand slam as part of the first-inning outburst and Flaherty also homered.

BSU jumped to an 8-0 lead before recording an out in the bottom of the first inning.

The Bears loaded the bases when senior Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) led with a single to left, Lindsay reached on an infield single and Flaven walked.

Selander brought in the first run with a single to center and the next three came home when Flaherty was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and senior DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) and Thornell both drew walks with the bases full.

Messina then made it 8-0 with his homer to right field.

Freshman Cam Beltramini (Hanson, Mass.) reached on an outfield error, Lindsay was hit by a pitch and Flaven was intentionally walked to load the bases again.

A groundout by Selander brought home the final run of the inning. The Bears scored the nine runs with only three hits, taking advantage of two errors, four walks and two hit by pitches.

The lead went to 12-0 in the third inning as Selander doubled home Flaven, who had singled. Flaherty then delivered a two-run homer to left.

An RBI single through the left side by Lindsay in the fourth scored Thornell for a 13-0 lead.

Salem State got on the board in the fifth on an RBI single through the left side by graduate student Connor Dolan (Rockland, Mass.).

The Bears added three more in the seventh for a 16-1 lead as Thornell had a two-run double to left and freshman Jamie Luna (Warwick, R.I.) drove in a run with a single.

BSU finished its scoring with two in the eighth on an RBI double by sophomore Benjamin Sepeck (Whitman, Mass.) and a run-scoring single by Prampin.

Salem State's final run in the top of the ninth came home on a wild pitch.

Winning pitcher Jaden Arruda (Seekonk, Mass.) improved to 2-0, as the sophomore allowed a run and six hits before three pitchers worked out of the bullpen.

The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday at noon at the Central Campus Baseball Field in Salem. The games were switched from Saturday due to the impending rain.