MCLA Drops a Pair of Low Scoring Affairs

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  Sophomore Tyler Genereux (Duxbury, Mass.) scattered five hits and struck out six over six-plus shutout innings to lift Massachusetts Maritime to a 2-0 nightcap victory over MCLA and a sweep of a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field.  The hosts used a bases-loaded walk to senior Greg Wiggin (Marshfield, Mass.) in the bottom of the eighth to notch a 4-3 triumph in the opener.

The host Buccaneers (7-5, 2-0 MASCAC) trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth of the opening contest but forged a tie with a pair of runs in the frame on a pinch-hit RBI triple by senior Michael Vargas (Framingham, Mass.) and a run-scoring double off the bat of sophomore Zachary Sullivan (Barnstable, Mass.), and with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and runners on first and second, freshman Nick Thomas (Brockton, Mass.) reached on a soft grounder in front of the plate to bring up Wiggin, who took a high 3-2 pitch to force in the deciding tally.

The visiting Trailblazers (5-10, 0-2 MASCAC) took a 1-0 second inning lead on an RBI double by senior Paul Procopio and extended that margin to 3-0 in the third on a run-scoring single by senior Joe Parillo that was followed by an RBI triple off the bat of senior Osiris Mendez, but Massachusetts Maritime, which collected eight hits in the opening contest, got a run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by senior Corey Murphy (East Wareham, Mass.) that set up the tying rally in the sixth and Wiggin's heroics in the eighth.

Thomas picked up his second win in three decisions on the mound for the Buccaneers in relief of senior Nick Levitre (Grafton, Mass.), who allowed a pair of earned runs and fanned five over the first 6 2/3 innings of work.  Procopio collected two of MCLA's five hits in the opening game setback, as freshman Mike Bullett suffered his second setback of the season on the mound for the Trailblazers in relief of junior Daniel Gaines, who allowed six hits and struck out nine over the first 6 1/3 frames.

Massachusetts Maritime plated the only run it would need in the bottom of the second on a suicide squeeze by junior Andrew DiNisco (Malden, Mass.), and the Buccaneers added an insurance tally in the sixth on a two-out single by Murphy.  Genereux carried the shutout into the final inning before giving way to Thomas, who came on to record the final three outs and earn his second save of the season for the hosts, who received three hits from Murphy as well as a pair off the bat of sophomore Aram Mulhern (Taunton, Mass.) as part of a seven-hit attack.  Parillo rapped out two of the Trailblazers' five hits in the nightcap setback, as senior Sean Hermance was a tough-luck loser on the mound for MCLA, allowing an earned run and fanning give in going the distance for the visitors.

Mike Meaney had a hit and reached on a walk in game one.

Massachusetts Maritime hosts Johnson & Wales in a non-league outing on Thursday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field beginning at 3:30 p.m., while MCLA hosts SUNY-Cobleskill in a non-league contest on Tuesday afternoon in North Adams, Mass. that also begins at 3:30 p.m.