Sophomore third baseman Jeremy Tanguay was 4 for 6 with an RBI in the doubleheader vs. Framingham. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
WESTFIELD – Westfield State University and Framingham State University split a baseball doubleheader in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action on Saturday.
The Owls rallied for a 3-2 victory in the opener after scoring two runs in the seventh, while the Rams rebounded to take the nightcap 5-3.
With the split the Rams are now 7-12 on the season and 2-2 in the conference, while the Owls are 9-9 overall and 3-1 in the MASCAC.
The opener was a pitcher’s duel between Framingham’s Matt DiCato (Winthrop, Mass.) and Westfield’s Mike Molta (Nantucket, Mass.) through the first four innings with DiCato facing the minimum and allowing just two base runners and Molta not surrendering a hit.
The Rams finally got on the board in the fifth as junior Matt Roberge (Lowell, Mass.) legged out an infield single and scored on a passed ball for the game’s first run.
The Owls countered with a run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single to center for sophomore Jeremy Tanguay (Huntington, Mass.) to knot the score at 1-1.
Framingham answered with an unearned run in the top of the sixth. Freshman Jake Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.) singled, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single off the bat of junior Tony Iafolla (Medfield, Mass.).
DiCato retired the Owls in order in the bottom of the sixth, but the Owls took advantage of a three Framingham errors in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with the victory.
Senior Andrew Medeiros (Acushnet, Mass.) singled, advanced to second on a ground, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored the game-tying run on a catcher throwing error.
Molta reached safely when the first baseman muffed a throw following a grounder to the shortstop, then Molta scampered to third on Tangquay’s bloop single to rightfield.
With runners at first at third, veteran Westfield coach Ray Arra called for a double steal. Tanguay was hung up between first and second but Molta was able to score the winning run on the second baseman’s throwing error to the home.
DiCato was tagged with the loss going the distance for the Rams surrendering three runs, one earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts.
Molta went five innings for the Owls and surrendered one run, unearned, while allowing just one hit with five walks and three strikeouts. Junior Kevin Zyrkowski (Hingham, Mass.) tossed two innings of relief allowing an unearned run on three hits to pick up the victory.
Roberge led the Rams in the opener with two of their four hits, while Medeiros and Tanguay led the Owls with two hits apiece.
In the nightcap, the Owls took a 1-0 lead in their first at bat on an RBI double by Medeiros. Westfield took a 3-0 third-inning lead on Kevin Greene’s towering two-run homer over the centerfield fence.
After allowing three runs in the first three innings, sophomore Ryan Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) settled down on the hill for the Rams and allowed only three base runners for the remainder of the game on one hit and two walks.
The Rams plated two in the fifth on an RBI single to right by sophomore Mark Mainini (Hull, Mass.) and an RBI double by senior Justin Forman (Watertown, Mass.) that scored Mainini. A single run in the sixth on Iafolla’s second RBI base hit of the day knotted the game at 3-3.
The Rams took the lead for good in their final at bat of the day. Forman doubled with two outs driving Westfield State starting pitcher Peter Cassidy (Bluffton, SC) from the game. Senior Will Crofton (Hopkinton, Mass.) followed with an RBI single scoring Forman with the winning run. Junior Ivan Colon (Waltham, Mass.) doubled to drive in Crofton with an insurance run.
The Owls threatened in the bottom of the seventh as they had runners on first and second after a pair of walks with two outs, but Bowen was able to record a strikeout to end the game.
Mainini, Forman, Colon, Iafolla and sophomore Cameron Couillard (North Andover, Mass.) all picked up two hits in game two for the Rams.
Medeiros, freshman Connor Sheridan, and Tanguay finished game two with two hits apiece for the Owls.
