Falcons Knocked Out of MASCAC Tourney After 7-2 Loss to Westfield State

SALEM, Mass.  --- Fitchburg State University baseball was eliminated from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) ​double-elimination ​tournament following a defeat to Westfield State by the final of 7-2 at Central Campus Field.

Westfield State's pitching was ​tough to handle as the Falcons ​were unable to ​get much ​offense ​ going ​against ​Owls' start​ing pitcher ​Matt Nunes​, who grabbed his second win of the season against Fitchburg State following six frames ​of one-run pitching, striking out six ​and scattering four hits. ​

Relief pitchers Tyler Tongue and Nate Marshall combined for three innings allowing two hits and closing-out the victory for Nunes.

 

Fitchburg State freshman lefty Evan Meleedy lasted three innings, allowing six runs (three earned),
and taking the loss to even his overall record at 3-3. Junior Andrew Lessard came in ​to throw four innings of relief ​surrendering two hits while Noah Millard and Joe St. Hilaire pitched an inning apiece.

 

Westfield State wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning as senior Dan McCormack reached on a lead-off single before coming around to score with two outs when Stephen Brown singled into centerfield for the games first run.

 

Nunes went onto retire six Fitchburg batters in a row before the Owls provided more run support for their starter. In the top of the third, Westfield State exploded for five runs on four hits, and finishing Meleedy's day with his team trailing 6-0.

 

After forcing the first two batters of the fourth inning to ground out, Fitchburg State relief pitcher Lessard went onto walk Adams before senior Danny DiMatteo knocked him in with a RBI triple into right field, increasing the lead to 7-0.

 

The Green and Gold scored its first run in the bottom of the frame as senior first baseman Brendan Cutler picked up the Falcons first hit with a single into left field to bring home classmate Javier Lozada from second-base and cut into the deficit. Following a double from junior Steven Drury and a drawn walk from Riley Shea, the Owls escaped a pressure-filled bases loaded situation forcing a ground ball, keeping the score at 7-1.

 

In the bottom of the sixth Fitchburg State were unable to score with the bases-loaded and one out oas Drury (BB), Shea, (Single), and Drew Mazzeo (BB) were stranded on base as Westfield State starter Nunes recorded his sixth punch-out before getting a ground-out to end the threat.

 

With the amount of outs left becoming limited for Fitchburg State, it was able to chip another off the gap in the bottom of the eighth after Cutler reached base on balls, moving to third from a single off the bat of Drury, and coming around to score on a fielder's choice (7-2).

 

But the Westfield State pitching continued to be the tale of the contest as Fitchburg State were unable to get any more scoring with its final five outs, leaving two runners on-base in the bottom of the ninth before ending the game, and its season by the final score of 7-2.  

Fitchburg State junior Drury went 2-for-3 with one walk and senior Javier Lozada finished with a 2-for-4 performance, scoring one run for the Falcons. Cutler and Shea each added a base hit. Westfield State's McCormack, Brown, Dimatteo, and Evan Moorhouse all had two hits in the contest.

 

Fitchburg State University ends its season with an 18-20 overall record.

Release courtesy of Fitchburg State student journalist Kyle Prudhomme