MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME BASEBALL
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Commodore Hendy Field, Buzzards Bay, Mass.
FINAL: MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 10, GORDON 7
123 456 789 R H E
Gordon (1-8) 210 000 211 - 7 13 3
Massachusetts Maritime (5-4) 000 400 06x - 10 10 0
BATTERIES
GOR: Eric Wolak, Stephen Myhren (8), Stephen Kefalas (8) and Jonathan Waldie
MMA: Matthew O'Brien, Nick Levitre (2), David Hike (8) and William Shouldice, Nate Eldridge (9)
WP: Hike (2-1) LP: Myhren (0-1)
BUZZARDS BAY, Mass.-- Sophomore Wil Rodriguez's (Lowell, Mass.) two-run single capped a six-run eighth inning outburst that lifted Massachusetts Maritime to a 10-7 non-league college baseball victory over Gordon Thursday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field.
The win was the 498th career triumph for Buccaneer Head Coach Bob Corradi, who is now two victories shy of becoming the 29th active NCAA Division III coach to reach the 500-win plateau.
The host Buccaneers (5-4) trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the eighth, but lead-off singles by junior Joe Albano (Agawam, Mass.) and senior Tyler Spofford (Sharon Springs, N.Y.) set the table for Massachusetts Maritime. After a fielder's choice groundout and a balk moved runners into scoring position, sophomore Michael Vargas (Natick, Mass.) drew a one-out walk to load the bases, as the hosts evened matters at 6-6 on back-to-back bases loaded walks issues to freshman William Shouldice (Rutland, Vt.) and senior Mark Mozelak (New Hartford, Conn.). Freshman Nick Montalto (South Yarmouth, Mass.) was then hit by a pitch to force in the go-ahead marker for the Bucs, and Rodriguez's two-run single to right coupled with an error, completed the Massachusetts Maritime rally for a 10-6 edge.
The visiting Fighting Scots (1-8) grabbed a 2-0 first inning lead on an RBI single by junior Stephen Kefalas (Wenham, Mass.) and a sacrifice fly off the bat of freshman Eric Wolak (Trumbull, Conn.), and Gordon extended that margin to 3-0 in the second on a run-scoring single from sophomore Stephen Myhren (Vernon, N.J.). The Buccaneers took a one-run (4-3) advantage with four runs in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double by Spofford, a two-run two-bagger by Shouldice and an error, but the visitors took a 5-4 edge in the seventh on RBI singles by Myhren and junior Robert Mansfield (Wall, N.J.) and extended that margin to 6-4 in the eighth on a pinch-hit RBI single off the bat of freshman Ben Check-Davis (Waltham, Mass.), setting up the heroics in the bottom of the frame for Massachusetts Maritime. Junior Aaron Whittet's (Rye, N.H.) RBI single in the ninth enabled Gordon to pull to within three at 10-7, but junior David Hike (Riverview, Fla.) fanned pinch-hitter Chris Moran (Williamsville, N.Y.) to end the game.
Shouldice drove in a career-high three runs in the win for the Buccaneers, who received two hits each from Rodriguez, Albano and Spofford. Hike improved to 2-1 with two innings of relief for the hosts, as sophomore Nick Levitre (Grafton, Mass.) allowed six hits and struck out five in 5 1/3 innings of relief for Massachusetts Maritime as well. Myhren, who suffered the setback on the mound in relief, was one of four Fighting Scots to collect two hits in the contest, as he was joined by Kefalas, Wolak and junior Jonathan Waldie (Methuen, Mass.).
Massachusetts Maritime opens MASCAC play on Saturday afternoon when the Bucs head to Worcester, Mass. to take on Worcester State in a league twinbill that will be played at Assumption College's Rocheleau Field beginning at Noon, while Gordon travels to Paxton, Mass. on Saturday afternoon for a Commonwealth Coast doubleheader with Anna Maria that also begins at Noon.