Bears Trump Vikings In MASCAC Semifinals

Bridgewater, Mass. -- No. 1 seed Bridgewater State came back from an early deficit to eliminate No. 5 seed Salem State in an elimination game of the MASCAC Baseball Tournament on Saturday at Alumni Park. The Bears (29-13) advance and will need to two wins against No. 2 Mass Maritime for the championship while the Vikings end their campaign 19-18. 

Bridgewater State starter Cameron Connolly lasted 3.0 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts before being replaced by Nick Reiser. Reiser (2-3) threw 6.0 scoreless innings, surrendering just two hits to go with six strikeouts and a walk. Kevin Lindsay was 2-for-5 with two runs and three RBI. 

Salem State starter Nick Bamforth pitched 3.0 innings and gave up six runs on four hits with a strikeout and two walks. Reliever Alex Metznik (1-1) took the loss after allowing three runs on a hit and three walks with two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work. Yabdriel Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with three RBI while Michael Buccaro and Connor Dolan each went 2-for-4 with a double, combining for three runs and two RBI.

How It Happened

• Salem State exploded for five runs in the first inning on five hits. Owen Duggan brought in the first run on a hit-by-pitch before Buccaro launched a two-run double to rightfield for a 3-0 lead. Gonzalez then scored Duggan and Buccaro with a two-run single to right.
• Bridgewater State added two runs in the bottom of the inning on a Ryan Flaherty sacrifice fly and a Messina RBI groundout. 
• Gonzalez made it 6-2 in the third with a sacrifice fly.
• A six-run fourth put the Bears in front, 8-6. Scott Emerson's hit-by-pitch with the bases load and Kevin Lindsay's RBI groundout and an error brought in the first three runs. Messina followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game before Jamie Luna's two-run single to left gave Bridgewater State a two-run advantage. 
• Lindsay added a two-run single to right in the fifth while Messina added a solo shot in the sixth.
• Brendan Flaven's sacrifice fly gave the Bears a 12-6 lead in the seventh.