Baseball Staves Off Elimination, Tops Worcester State 8-6 on Friday Morning

SALEM, Mass. – No. 6 seed Worcester State rallied for four runs in the ninth, but Sean Clark (Dudley, Mass.) threw out Nate Thurber (Framingham, Mass.) at the plate on an RBI single by Anthony Iamarone (Providence, R.I.) to record the third out and preserve an 8-6 victory for No. 4 seed Westfield State in the semifinals of the MASCAC Baseball Tournament.

The Owls (27-15) move on to another elimination game on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in Salem to face the loser of Friday afternoon's No. 1 Salem State ad No. 2 Bridgewater State game.

The Lancers end their season 11-28.

Joe Espinola (Plymouth, Mass.) picked up his fifth save and starter Colton Vasseur (Colchster, Conn.) earned the win, pitching seven innings and allowing two runs - one earned on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Jarret Morrill (Chelmsford, Mass.) suffered the loss going six innings, giving up three runs - one earned on four hits with five strikeouts.

Frankie Hernandez (Framingham, Mass.) gave Worcester State an early lead with an RBI single to center in the first. Westfield State took advantage of two Lancer errors in the third as Tray Faulkner (Springfield, Mass.), who led off the inning with a single, came around to score on a throwing error by the shortstop.

Gavin Wells (North Attleboro, Mass.) put Worcester State back on top in the fourth, scoring from third on a wild pitch after a two-base throwing error put him on third following a lead-off single. 

The Owls came back in the fourth as Westfield State's Nate Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) slugged his seventh home run to left field in, tying the game at two-apiece.  

Rightfielder Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.) prevented a Worcester rally in the top of the fifth as he gunned out Tyler Smith (Leominster, Mass.), who tried to go first to third on a base hit by Hernandez. The Owls pushed ahead, 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth as a walk to Sam Palmer (Medfield, Mass.), a passed ball and run scoring double by Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) gave Westfield State the lead. 

A three-run seventh by the Owls broke the game open a Westfield State surged ahead, 6-2. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. A wild pitch and a two-run throwing error by the third baseman plated three runs on just two hits in the inning. 

Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) extended the lead with a two-run double in the eighth.

However, the Lancers made it interesting in the top of the ninth. An RBI single by Kevin Doyle (Bridgewater, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly by Hernandez made the score 8-4. Thurber plated another run with an RBI double before Espinola came in with runners on second and third. Iamarone laced a single to left to score one run, but Thurber was out at the plate to end the game.

-- release courtesy Salem State sports info