MCLA Drops Two at Fitchburg

FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 18, 2010) - The Fitchburg State baseball team collected a pair of key MASCAC victories over MCLA this afternoon, notching a 6-4 victory in game one and posting the series sweep with an 8-1 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, Fitchburg State received a strong pitching performance from sophomore Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex), who improved to 3-1 on the year with his third complete game of the season. The sophomore hurler went the distance for the Falcons, allowing only four runs and eight hits and striking out four.

MCLA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after three innings of play as junior Joe Parillo (W. Springfield, Mass./W. Springfield) recorded all three Trailblazer RBI’s. Parillo sparked the MCLA two-run first inning with a line-drive base hit that plated a pair, before manufacturing a run with a RBI groundout in the third.

Fitchburg State rallied back, using a four-run fourth inning to take its first lead of the contest (4-3). The Falcons boasted six hits throughout the frame, including singles by junior Dave Alexander (Torrington, Conn./Torrington), and freshman Cody Bamforth (Vernon, Conn./Rockville) to open the inning.

The Falcons padded their lead in the bottom of the sixth frame, taking advantage of three MCLA errors for a solid 6-3 margin. The Trailblazers answered in the top half of the seventh with a single run following Eddie George’s (Falls Church, Va./Jack Britt) lead-off single, but Mercier quieted the Trailblazers bats to preserve the Falcons 11th victory of the season.

Parillo paced the MCLA, eight-hit attack with a 2-for-3 performance, including a double and three RBI, while George finished with a game-high three hits and two runs scored. John Ripepi (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) walked three times and scored two runs as well for the Trailblazers. On the hill, senior Andrew Kelly (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah) suffered the loss (0-2), allowing six runs (four earned) and nine hits in the complete game effort.              

In the nightcap, Fitchburg State unleashed an eight run, ten-hit attack, clinching the sweep over MCLA with an 8-1 victory.

Behind another stellar pitching performance from freshman Alex Teal (Malden, Mass./Malden), the Falcons collected their fourth consecutive victory and 12th win of the year. Teal tossed a complete game, seven innings for Fitchburg State, yielding only one earned run and five hits, while striking out seven.

Sophomore Andrew Foster (E. Bridgewater, Mass./E. Bridgewater) led the Falcons game-two approach, finishing 3-for-4 with a trio of singles and one run scored.

After two and half of scoreless play, Fitchburg State broke the scoring silence in the bottom of the third, tallying a seven run, five hit inning. Junior Erik DiMauro (Foxboro, Mass./Foxboro) continued his hot hitting with a RBI single to plate Mercier and the Falcons capped off the frame with three runs on three wild pitches.

MCLA touched for a single run in the top of the fourth frame on Parillo’s RBI single, but Teal and the Fitchburg State defense held the Trailblazers silent for the remainder of the contest. Phelan highlighted the Falcons defense with three, show-stopping plays up the middle; while Teal registered a season-best seven K’s in his second complete game of the season.

Paul Procopio(Pittsfield, MA/Taconic) was 2-3 in game two and Rick Massey (Cheshire, MA/St. Joseph’s) went 1-3.

Senior James Greely (Auburndale, Mass./Newton North) suffered the  game-two loss for the Trailblazers (2-4), allowing seven runs (four earned) and eight hits over five innings of work. The veteran right hander totaled six K’s in the contest, while only walk one.

Fitchburg State (12-9, 3-3 MASCAC) will be back in action tomorrow as it hosts Bridgewater State College at 12 p.m. MCLA (6-14, 1-5 MASCAC) will host Worcester State tomorrow as well, starting at 1 p.m.