Bissaillon Drives Home Four, Baseball Outlasted by Fitchburg

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The MCLA Baseball team opened their three game MASCAC series with the Fitchburg State Falcons at Michael P. Riccards Field this afternoon. With the Trailblazers designated as the home team on the FSU field, the Falcons built an early lead and MCLA ran out of outs before they could catch up. Joshua Bissaillon drove home four runs, including a solo home run, but five different Falcons finished with multiple RBI to mark a 15-9 final score.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, April 18, 2025
• Score: Fitchburg State 15, MCLA 9
• Records: Fitchburg State University Falcons 9-12 (MASCAC 3-6) | MCLA Trailblazers 5-18 (MASCAC 2-9)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fitchburg opened the game with five runs on six hits, including a triple down the right field line by Michael Nazzaro, to set the Trailblazers on their back foot. In the bottom of the frame, Matthew Castillo (Ozone Park, NY) reach on a one out error and then advanced on a single by Joshua Bissaillon (East Greenbush, NY) and a fly out by Josh Bologh (Waterbury, CT). Roshan Warriar (Pittsfield, MA) brought Castillo home with a single to right field.
• The Falcons added to their lead, scoring four more runs in the second before adding single runs in the third and fourth innings.
• The sixth inning brought some thump back to the MCLA lineup. Chris Vargas (Queens Village, NY) followed a single by Warriar with a no doubt home run to left field, destroying an 0-2 pitch.
• Joe Sardo (Great Neck, NY) followed Vargas and worked a walk from the rattled Fitchburg starter, Joseph Hartnett, who gave way to reliever Jovanni Merced. Merced was greeted by a single through the right side of the infield by Matthew Belfance (Saugerties, NY). Two batters later Ben Jacob (Pittsfield, MA) loaded the bases with a five pitch walk. Castillo scored Sardo with an infield single that ate up the Falcon shortstop. Bissaillon followed with a sacrifice fly to left to plate Belfance and then single through the right side of the infield by Bologh to bring Jacob home, cutting the deficit to 11-6.
• A scoreless seventh inning, gave way to both teams scoring in the eighth. The Falcons plated two runs on a bases loaded two-run single from Adam Koza. The Trailblazer run was scored on a leadoff home run by Bissaillon that saw the left fielder take two steps towards the wall before watching it sail past.
• Fitchburg pushed two more runs across in the top of the ninth and then Bissaillon picked up two more RBI when he doubled down the left field line, setting the final score at 15-9.
• The Falcons Hartnett was rewarded with his first win of the season, moving to 1-5 after striking out five in five innings. Aidan Brett (Seymour, CT) took the loss, also moving his record to 1-5.

UP NEXT:

On Saturday, MCLA will be back in action when it travels back to Fitchburg State and Michael P. Riccards Field for two more games with the Falcons. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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