MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME BASEBALL

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Commodore Hendy Field, Buzzards Bay, Mass.

GAME #1 FINAL:          FRAMINGHAM STATE 5, MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 0

GAME #2 FINAL:          MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME 10, FRAMINGHAM STATE 8

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. --  Freshman Jackson Simone’s (Seattle, Wash.) two-run single highlighted a seven run third inning rally that lifted Massachusetts Maritime to a 10-8 nightcap victory over Framingham State and a split of a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field.  In the opener, sophomore Kevin Connelly (Bolton, Mass.) tossed a complete-game two-hit shutout and struck out eight in a 5-0 triumph for the Rams.

The host Buccaneers (10-12, 5-5 MASCAC) took a 1-0 second inning lead in the nightcap when senior Jake Petruzzelli (Abington, Mass.) scored on a fielder’s choice, and after the visiting Rams (14-17, 4-6 MASCAC) took a 2-1 edge in the top of the third on an error and an RBI single by sophomore Jordan Pallazola (Rockport, Mass.), Massachusetts Maritime used five hits and took advantage of four errors as part of its seven run uprising in the bottom of the frame that also featured a steal of home by junior Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) and an RBI single off the bat of junior Casey Furnas (Boca Raton, Fla.).  Framingham State responded with a five-run rally in the top of the fourth on a triple by sophomore Joe Ambrosino (Bradenton, Fla.) and a three-run homer to left center by Pallazola (his fourth of the season), but the Buccaneers tacked on single tallies in the fifth on an error and in the sixth on junior Logan Sullo’s (Acushnet, Mass.) run-scoring single to take a three run cushion at 10-7.  Those insurance runs were key for the hosts, as the Rams closed back to within two in the seventh on Ambrosino’s RBI single and had the tying runs on base before a fly ball to right ended the threat.

Sullo, Petruzzelli and freshman Nick Haley (Hanson, Mass.) each rapped out two of Massachusetts Maritime’s 11 hits in the nightcap, as sophomore Brian Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass.) allowed three hits and struck out four over the final three innings of work to improve to 4-2 on the season.  Pallazola and Ambrosino combined for four hits and six RBI as part of a nine-hit second game attack for Framingham State, which also received two hits off the bat of sophomore Kyle Lippert (Carlsbad, Calif.).  Sophomore Kyle Hodgson (Berkley, Mass.) fell to 0-4 on the spring with the setback on the mound for the visitors, as he allowed just two earned runs and struck out four over 5 1/3 innings of work.

Connelly and Buccaneer senior Daniel Avery (Milford, Mass.) locked up in a pitcher’s duel in the opening contest, as Avery retired the first 13 batters he faced before the Rams struck for three runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run double by Lippert, who then scored on freshman Robert Higgins’ (Barnstable, Mass.) RBI two-bagger.  Framingham State tacked on two more tallies in the seventh on an error and a groundout, and Connelly took care of the rest on the hill for the visitors by retiring 17 straight after Kennedy’s single that led off the game.  Connelly allowed a second Kennedy single in the sixth inning and didn’t walk a batter in going the distance to improve to 4-1 on the season for the Rams, who received two of their six opening game hits off Pileski’s bat.  Avery allowed four hits and struck out nine over the first six innings of action for Massachusetts Maritime in falling to 3-2 on the season.

Massachusetts Maritime hosts Bridgewater State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field beginning at 2:00 p.m., while Framingham State takes on Salem State in a MASCAC twinbill on Tuesday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex in Marlboro, Mass. that begins at Noon.

(Photo Credit:  Justin Reidy)