Worcester State Splits with Westfield State in MASCAC Opener

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State Lancers (10-10, 1-1 MASCAC) split with the Westfield State Owls (10-10, 1-1 MASCAC) on the opening day of Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play at the Lyons Diamond on the campus of Worcester State.

GAME ONE: Worcester State 5, Westfield State 3

Worcester State earned their first conference victory in game one of the doubleheader, as the Lancers started the game with a 5-0 advantage and Worcester's starting pitcher, Tyler Barrie (Oxford, Mass.) pitched a phenomenal game, logging a no-hitter going into the 5^th inning while striking out nine batters in his six innings pitched.

The Lancers came out strong in the 1^st when they scored three runs on four hits and one Owl error. Second baseman, Jake Ryan (Northbridge, Mass.) began the inning with a single to centerfield, from where he advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and eventually scored on an RBI single from Adam Barry (Auburn, Mass.). Designated hitter, George Bielizna (Danbury, Conn.) reached shortly after when he was hit by a pitch. Both Barry and Bielizna scored at the plate on hits from Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.) and Brian Bonacquisti (Pittsfield, Mass.) to catch onto the early 3-0 gain.

The Lancers added to their lead, scoring one run in the bottom of the 3^rd, and another in the 4^th.

The Owls came around in the top of the 5^th, when Christian Morales (Peabody, Mass.) broke Barrie's no-hitter on a single up the middle, eventually scoring at the plate on a sacrifice fly form Nate Barnes (Westfield, Mass.). They Owls chipped away at the Lancers' lead in the top of the 7^th again, when Dan Wigham (Barre, Mass.) hit a two-run home run (with no outs) over the left field wall to bring the score to 5-3. The Owls had their chance to rally, though, they we cut short when the next three batters grounded out in the infield.

Worcester State's Bonacquisti batted a perfect 1.000 (3-for-3) against the Owls in the first game, while Barry went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.

Barrie earned his second victory of the season, facing 27 batters and striking out 1/3 of his batters faced. Worcester's Andrew Reed (Douglas, Mass.) came in the last inning to close the game out for his second save on the season. Westfield's pitcher, Nick Cunningham (Ashland, Mass.) suffered the loss as he pitched 3.1 innings and allowed five runs on 10 hits.

GAME TWO: Westfield State 2, Worcester State 1

Westfield State came out on top in the second game as they scored two runs (one unearned) on six hits and two Worcester State errors. The Owls scored one run in the top of the 1^st to pace the game, as Danny DiMatteo (Dennis, Mass.) doubled to right field and Christian Morales (Peabody, Mass.) advanced to third, eventually scoring at the plate on a throwing error.

The game stayed in the Owls' favor until the Lancers put one run up on the board in the bottom of the 4^th to tie the game at 1-1. The inning started with a double from Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.), from where he scored on an RBI-single from Brian Bonacquisti (Pittsfield, Mass.).

Tied at 1-1, the Owls were able to position themselves for the win as they scored a run in the top of the 6^th when Aaron Clancy (Quincy, Mass.) hit an RBI-single to left field, scoring Dan McCormack (Shelton, Conn.) at the plate. They then held the Lancers to no hits for the remainder of the game, resulting in the 2-1 victory.

Westfield's John Gegetskas (Windsor, Conn.) registered the win, pitching six innings and striking out five batters. The Owls' Pete Liimatainen (W. Barnstable, Mass.) earned the save, pitching one inning and striking out two at the plate to close the game out. Worcester's Zach Zona (Auburn, Mass.) was tagged the loss, as he pitched a complete game and only allowed one earned run on six hits. Zona struck out seven in the batter's box.

Four of Westfield State's batters registered the six hits, as they all batted .500 or above. Clancy went 1-for-1, Morales went 1-for-2 with a walk, while McCormack and DiMatteo batted 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively.

The Lancers resume play tomorrow when they face Mass. Maritime on the road for another conference doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The Owls will host Bridgewater State tomorrow in another MASCAC doubleheader tomorrow at 12 noon.