WORCESTER, Mass -- Buccaneer baseball played on the road Friday against the Clark Cougars in their first of five games over the next three days. The Bucs held an early lead on the back of a solid start from freshman pitcher Jay Loeffler but the 9-1 Cougars came back to win the game, 10-8.

The Basics

Final: Cougars 10, Buccaneers 8

Records: Clark (10-1)

               Maritime (2-5)

On The Mound

Clark: Casey Gorczyca: 5 IP | 11 H | 5 R | 3 ER | 0 BB | 1 K

           Brandon Berean (W, 1-0): 2 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 1 K

Maritime: Jay Loeffler: 4 IP | 6 H | 2 R | 1 ER | 0 BB | 4 K

                Jack O'Rourke (L, 0-1): 1.2 IP | 5 H | 5 R | 3 ER | 2 BB | 0 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Tucker Leslie and Michael Estrada each had three hits for the Bucs in the game.
• Brett Velzis, AJ Pietrafesa, Michael Loguidice, and Aidan Weir all had two-hit games.
• Grady Freeman and Costa Beechin added one hit apiece.
• Velzis and Estrada both drove in two runs. Freeman and Pietrafesa were credited with one RBI.
• Leslie scored three times in the loss. Freeman came across twice to score and Velzis, Beechin, and Logiudice all scored once.
• Velzis recorded the only two extra base hits for the Bucs in the game with a double and a triple. 
• Weir was credited with the only Maritime stolen base.

Clark

• Dom Mariani and Billy Sullivan both had three-hit games in the win. Brayden Hollinrake, Samuel Farrell, and Ryan Bonja all had two-hit games.
• Carter Doran, Michael Soares, and Tyler Jones all had one hit.
• Mariani and Farrell both drove in two runs. Four other Cougars were credited with RBIs in the game.
• Sullivan scored three times for the hosts. Hollinrake and Farrell scored twice.
• Soares and Farrell both hit home runs. Doran had a three-bagger, and Hollinrake, Farrell and Sullivan all recorded doubles.
• Sullivan stole the only base for Clark in the win.

How It Happened

Maritime scored first in the top of the first on a Pietrafesa single to left to bring in Leslie from second base. Then, in the top of the third, MAritime added two more runs to take a 3-0 lead. The first came on a Clark miscue that brought in Leslie and the second came in on an Estrada single that plated Freeman. In the bottom of the third, the Cougars answers with two runs. The runs came in on a Sullivan single and a Doran triple. The Bucs led 3-2 after three innings.

In the top of the fourth, Maritime extended their lead back to three runs. Freeman grounded out and Logiudice scored from third. The second run came in on Velzis's double that brought in Leslie for the third time in the game.

It took until the bottom of the fifth but Clark scored a run to make the score 5-3 on a Mariani single to score Sullivan.

The Bucs opened the lead to three again in the top of the sixth when Estrada singled to left to score Velzis. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, the Cougars went off at the plate to take their first and last lead of the game. Bonja singled to score one on a Bucs error. Jones scored Bonja from third on a ground out. Mariani singled to score Sullivan, and Soared capped off the scoring in the inning with a solo home run to left. The Cougars led 8-6 after six.

Clark added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, both on Farrell's two-run home run to left field. The Cougars led 10-6 through seven.

Maritime added a run in the top of the eighth and again in the top of the ninth but could not complete the comeback, falling to the Cougars by a final of 10-8.

What's Next

The Bucs host Anna Maria on Saturday, March 16 in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at noon.