Bridgewater Nine Holds Off Endicott, 7-4
April 14, 2005
(Story courtesy of Bridgewater State Sports Information Department)
Bridgewater, MA - The Bridgewater State Baseball team defeated the visiting Gulls of Endicott College, 7-4, in non-conference play at Alumni Park. The Bears have won six of their last eight to improve to 8-5 on the season, while Endicott dips to 15-8.
The Bears got on the board quickly, as they put up two runs in the bottom of the first as a result of a pair of Endicott errors. Senior Christian Perry (Middleboro, MA) drove in the second run of the inning on an RBI single to left center. The Bears tacked on two more in the third, as junior Tim LaConte (Norton, MA) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Freshman leftfielder Steve Smith (East Taunton, MA) and Perry followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases with nobody out. Senior shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald (Middleboro, MA) plated the first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly to left to drive in LaConte. After a wild pitch put runners on second and third, sophomore Eric Johnson (East Taunton, MA) made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to right, driving in Smith.
BSC got what proved to be three big insurance runs in the home half of the sixth inning, thanks in part again to some shaky Endicott defense. Freshman catcher Kelly LaDow (East Falmouth, MA) led off with a double to left, and junior Ryan McCann (New Bedford, MA) reached on an error to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Junior Adam Izzo (Plymouth, MA) ripped a single up the middle to drive in LaDow, and McCann came around to score as an errant throw by the center fielder sailed into the visiting dugout. Izzo, who ended up on third base on the play, crossed the plate with the final run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by junior Sean White (Mansfield, MA).
The top of the ninth proved to be an eventful half-inning, as the Gulls loaded the bases on a walk to Joe Orlando (Gloucester, MA) and back-to-back singles by senior Pat Vincent (Manchester, NH) and pinch hitter Todd Strong (Fr., Topsham, ME). Freshman Gavin Softic (Athol, MA) reached on a fielder's choice, which plated Orlando on an error at the plate. Junior Matt Bishop (Woburn, MA) picked up his third hit, as Vincent scored to make it a 7-2 game. One out later, freshman catcher Daniel Gomez (East Longmeadow, MA) ripped a two-run single to center to bring the tying run to the plate. BSC pitcher Jon Souza (Taunton, MA), however, was able to induce a groundout to end the game.
Endicott might have made it closer had they not squandered two bases loaded opportunities earlier in the game. Starter Aiden Powers (Braintree, MA) struck out two in the fourth with the bases loaded and one out. And reliever, Ted Grasso (Lakeville, MA), got two come-backers and a strike out wiggle off a bases loaded, no-out hook in the sixth.
For Bridgewater, Perry finished the game 3-for-4 with one RBI, to increase his team-leading batting average to .472. Smith went 2-for-5 with the aforementioned double, and junior Jay Houser (Easton, MA) extended his hitting streak to twelve games by going 2-for-5. Endicott saw four players have multi-hit games, as Bishop led the Gulls with three hits and a walk. Gomez, Vincent and senior Greg Allain (Berlin, NH) also notched two hits on the game.
Junior southpaw Powers recorded his first win of the season, as he threw five innings of shutout ball, scattering four hits and two walks, while striking out eight. Freshman Grasso relieved Powers in the sixth, as he also didn't allow a run over three innings, allowing two hits, walking two and striking out four, before giving way to Souza in the ninth.
BSC will be back in action tomorrow as they welcome the Judges of Brandeis University, in a 4:00 start. The Gulls will be off until Saturday as they travel to scenic Newport, Rhode Island for a Commonwealth Coast Conference twinbill against Salve Regina at 1:00 pm.