Baseball Sweeps Rams, Runs Win Streak to Seven Straight

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester State baseball team has now won seven straight games after the Lancers swept a doubleheader from Framingham State in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) baseball on Saturday afternoon at Lyons Diamond.

All seven wins in that streak have been in MASCAC play, as the Lancers improve their conference record to 10-3 (16-11 overall).

Worcester State won the opening game 4-3 and then toppled the Rams (9-19, 4-9 MASCAC) 9-1 in the second game of the day. 

Game 1: Worcester State 4, Framingham State 3

Senior Joey Zawisza (Newington, Conn.) improves to 4-1 on the season after striking out six over five innings. Zawisza allowed two runs on five hits and didn't issue a walk.

The Lancers grabbed the lead in the bottom of the third with a two-out unearned run.

Michael Chaves, Jr. (Hudson, Mass.) was hit by a pitch with two down and went to second on a walk before scoring on a fielding error off the bat of Sean Dutton (Leominster, Mass.) that trickled into left field.

The home team tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Chris Ausiello (Tyngsboro, Mass.) drove in a run with a double to left center and then came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Tom Halliwell (Leominster, Mass.).

Framingham grabbed a pair of runs in the fifth, when Evan Kirkpatrick (Cumberland, R.I.) and Lucas Basile (Upton, Mass.) led off the inning with back to back singles. Both scored on an error wit hone out in the inning, with Ryan Boyle (Arlington, Mass.) picking up one RBI on the would-be groundout.

Danny DiMassimo (Pittsfield, Mass.) stranded the tying run on third in the sixth and the Lancers added another run in the bottom of the inning on another sacrifice fly by Halliwell to knock in Thomas DiBattista (Hudson, Mass.), who had walked and stole a base.

That insurance run proved helpful, as the Rams scored once in the top of the seventh, sparked by a triple to right center by Boyle, who came in to score.

Working around the triple and an error to score the unearned run, DiMassimo struck out the side in the seventh to secure his second save of the season.

Freshman Vinny LoGuidice (Billerica, Mass.) falls to 2-1 on the season, though all three runs he gave up, and all four runs scored by the Lancers, were unearned on the day. 

Game 2: Worcester State 9, Framingham State 1

The Lancers erupted for all nine of their runs in the bottom of the fourth, where they rapped out seven hits and took advantage of two errors.

Anthony Iamarone (Providence, R.I.) was 2-2 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs. Sean Devin (Lynn, Mass.) scored twice and hit a towering no-doubt two-run home run to cap that rally.

The first seven batters in the fourth reached safely for the Lancers, including a bases loaded single by Iamarone two knock in a pair and start the rally.

Chris Wright (Jefferson, Mass.) singled home a run and Brett Blackwell (Haverhill, Mass.) followed with a two-run double to right center to score Wright and Iamarone.

Ausiello singled down the right field line to chase home Blackwell.

The Rams were nearly out of the inning, but a throwing error with two outs allowed the inning to continue and another run to score.

Devin made Framingham State pay for the error even more, blasting an enormous home run to deep right field, his first round-tripper of the year.

Ben Smith (Bourne, Mass.) extended his streak of not allowing an earned run to twenty-three and a third innings. Smith gave up just one hit and one walk over five innings while picking up one strikeout and is now 3-1 on the year.

Nate Hewitt (Canton, Mass.) allowed just one hit and one unearned run over two innings of relief.  

Jack Foley (Burlington, Conn.) took the loss for the Rams, who scored an unearned run on a double-play in the top of the seventh.

Foley allowed five earned runs on six hits and two walks without recording a strikeout in three innings.

Jacob Gorman (Attleboro, Mass.) and Nathan Labonte (Raynham, Mass.) pitched perfect innings of relief for the Rams.

Worcester State is next scheduled to play a home doubleheader against Fitchburg State on Tuesday, April 26^th. Game one starts at 2:30. The Lancers defeated the Falcons 11-6 in Fitchburg on April 18^th in the first game of the conference series.

Framingham State is at Salem State at the same time for the conclusion of their three-game set after also winning the single game on the 18^th.