Carlier Helps Baseball Draw Split With Trinity In Florida Finale

Winter Haven, FL --- Senior Joe Carlier (Rockland, MA) went 4-for-6 with a homer, three runs and a trio of RBIs to help pace Worcester State in a split with Trinity (CT) in non-conference baseball action on Friday afternoon at Chain of Lakes Field #1.

The Lancers (4-7) won in a 4-3 walk-off victory in the opener before falling 5-4 in the series finale of their Florida trip.

In game one, sophomore Steve Wallace (Auburn, MA) scampered home to put WSU on top 1-0 in the top of the first following an RBI single by Carlier.

The Bantams (4-5), however, tied up the game in the top of the fourth and took the 3-1 advantage over after a two-run blast by junior Bryan Wolfe (La Habra Heights, CA).

Worcester State though chipped away at the deficit over the next three frames to set the stage for a come-from-behind victory.

Junior Zach George (Attleboro, MA) helped get the Lancers started with a plated run in the bottom of the fifth before Osburn added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

In the last of the seventh, third-year Jeff Bolio (Oxford, MA) singled to center and was called safe at second following a wild throw by the pitcher who tried to get the lead man off of a sacrifice.

Junior David Ruggiero (Peabody, MA) then chipped in with a pefectly placed bunt down the first base line that the infield thought was going to roll foul to load the bases.

With no one out, George swung and put a deep fly ball to left field to end the game in dramatic fashion.

Carlier and Ruggiero both connected with two base-knocks each to help WSU outhit their counterparts, 8-7, while Bolio scored two runs from his number nine spot in the order.

Junior Joe Perlak (Chicopee, MA) earned the victory in relief for tossing a hitless ninth after classmate Jared Kuzio (Franklin, MA) gave up a lead-off walk in the top of the ninth. Perlak (2-0) stranded sophomore Mackenzie Grenauer (Montclair, NJ) on base, who represented Trinity's go-ahead run.

Kuzio went six-plus frames allowing three earned runs, seven hits, five walks and he struck out a pair of batters. Kuzio also plunked one batter.

In the nightcap, Worcester State put up three runs in the top of the first to stake the early 3-0 margin. Carlier, freshman Dan McGuill (E. Longmeadow, MA) and Osburn all had run producing at-bats for the Blue and Gold.

The Bantams though notched two scores in the bottom of the second and took over the 5-3 lead in the fifth. Trinity scored a trio of runs to take the lead after an infield miscue by the shortstop and a dropped infield fly.

Carlier though came through for his team when he blasted his first collegiate homer for a solo shot down the leftfield line to lead-off the top of the sixth.

The Lancers looked poised to score again with runners on first and second with no one out after Carlier's dinger. But Trinity senior Ryan Carr (Cos Cob, CT) got a force play at third following a bunt and got out of it by spinning a double-play ball to end the threat.

Carr then hurled a scoreless seventh to preserve the one-run contest and finish off the complete game.

Freshman Andrew Wells (Methuen, MA) absorbed the setback for the Lancers. Wells (1-2) allowed five runs (two earned) on seven hits to go with two strikeouts on an effective 86 pitches.

WSU was outhit, 7-6, in the second contest as Carlier was the lone-multi hitter for his club. He was 2-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBIs.

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