WESTFIELD, Mass -- The Buccaneers traveled to Western Mass on Friday afternoon to open their conference play against the Westfield State Owls. The Bucs took an early 2-0 lead but the Owls swooped in to take the first of three games between the teams this weekend, 11-4.

The Basics

Final: Owls 11, Buccaneers 4

Records: Westfield (12-3, 1-0)

               Maritime (7-9, 0-1)

On The Mound

Westfield: Ryan Lapierre (W, 4-0): 6 IP | 5 H | 2 R | 0 ER | 2 BB | 8 K

Maritime: Chase Dwight (L, 1-1): 4.1 IP | 7 H | 6 R | 6 ER | 3 BB | 3 K

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• AJ Pietrafesa recorded two hits to extend his hitting streak to 21 games. Michael Estrada and Aidan Weir  each had two-hit games.
• Tucker Leslie and Brett Velzis each had one hit in the loss.
• Velzis and Estrada both drove in two runs. 
• Leslie, Velzis, Max Hefner and Greyson Sandoz scored the four Maritime runs in the game.

Westfield

• Four players recorded two-hit games for the Owls. Five others all recorded one hit.
• Five players drove in two runs in the game, Sam Palmer drove in one.
• Sean Clark and Devin Slattery both scored twice, seven other Owls scored once.
• Nolan Florence and Trey Faulkner each had a home run in the game. Sean Clark had two doubles and Alex Martin had one.
• Palmer, Martin, Slattery, Colin Ryan, and Robinson Guerrero Baez all stole a base in the win.

How It Happened

Estrada drove in Leslie and Velzis in the top of the first inning to give Maritime a quick 2-0 advantage in the conference opener.

In the bottom of the third, Westfield but the Buccaneers led in half on a Palmer single that scored Ryan. Maritime led 2-1 after three. 

The Owls pitchers settled in against the Bucs and didn't allow them to extend their lead. Then, in the fifth inning, the Owls scored eight times to take a 9-2 lead which included two-run home runs from Faulkner and Florence.

Westfield never relinquished the lead and in the top of the seventh they extended it by two runs on a two-RBI single to left field. 

In the top of the ninth, the Bucs scored two on a Velzis single to center field scoring Hefner and Sandoz though that was all they would get as the Owls won the first game of the three game series, 11-4.

What's Next

The Buccaneers will host the same Owls in a conference doubleheader on Saturday, MArch 30th beginning at 12pm at Hendy Field.