Falcons Swept By Owls

Edged 3-2 in opener; Drop 15-2 decision in nightcap

Westfield, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University baseball team dropped a pair of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) contests to the Owls of Westfield State University, 3-2/15-2 at Bud and Jim Hagan Field this afternoon.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 2, Westfield State 3 (Gm 1)

Score: Fitchburg State 2, Westfield State 15 (Gm 2)

Records: Fitchburg State (9-13-2, 3-4-1 MASCAC) | Westfield State (15-13-1, 5-3-0 MASCAC)

How It Happened

Game One

Fitchburg State broke a 0-0 stalemate in the top half of the fourth as sophomore Brennan Cuddahy (Leominster, Mass.) doubled to left center, moved to third on a single by classmate Joshua Macomber (Berkley, Mass.) and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Camden Santos (Fitchburg, Mass.) for the 1-0 edge.

Westfield State knotted the score (1-1) in the bottom of the fifth when grad student Nate Barnes (Westfield, Mass.) singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and crossed the plate following an RBI base knock to left field from senior John Lippincott (Barkhamsted, Conn.).

The Falcons regained the lead in the top of the sixth (2-1) as senior Andrew Currie (Quincy, Mass.) brought home sophomore Brandon Lefebvre (Leominster, Mass.) with single, but the Owls answered back with two-runs in the bottom of the frame with sophomore Brett Dooley (Cohasset, Mass.) and Barnes driving in runs for the hosts, resulting in the 3-2 final.

Game Two

Westfield State grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as junior Colin Dunn (Westfield, Mass.) reached on a fielders' choice and later scored on a throwing miscue before the Owls extended it margin (8-0) in the following frame on RBI's from junior Tyler Beach (Quincy, Mass.), senior Alex Lafayette (Ludlow, Mass.) and juniors Anthony Crowley (Bellingham, Mass.) and Jared Ferrari (Waltham, Mass.).

Fitchburg State responded in the top of the third when newcomer Nicholas Cordeau (Melrose, Mass.) reached on a fielders' choice and scored on an RBI double down the left field line from Currie to make the score 8-1.

The Owls tacked on three more runs in bottom of the third as Lafayette launched a three-run homer to left that scored Lippincott and Beach, en-route to a 15-2 game two victory.

Inside the Numbers

Currie led the way for the Falcons, going 5-for-7 with two doubles and two RBI, while Macomber added five hits and an RBI in the two contests for the Green and Gold.

For the Owls, Lippincott finished 4-of-6 with a run scored and a stolen base, while Lafayette hit 3-for-6 with a double, home run, two runs scored and four RBI.

On the mound, freshman Ryan Towle (Westfield, Mass.) and junior Tommy Parsons (Peabody, Mass.) combined to strike out ten batters for Fitchburg State in the two games.

Junior Jaime Butler (Waterbury, Conn.) and Barnes were solid for Westfield State in the two wins as the duo combined to allow just three earned runs, while striking out seven.

84th meeting between the two schools on the baseball diamond with the Falcons currently 20-64-0 all-time when taking on the Owls.

Two teams had split the previous six contests against each other, including last season with the Falcons earning a 7-6 win in the opener before the Owls secured the split with a 7-0 game two victory. Sophomore Brandon Lefebvre led the way for the Falcons, going 3-for-6 with one run scored and one RBI in the two games.

Up Next

Falcons will travel to Wentworth on Thursday to take on the Leopards for a non-conference bout, starting at 4:00 PM. Owls will visit Eastern Connecticut State University on the same day for a non-conference tilt at 4:00 PM.