Rams Shut Out Worcester State to Sweep MASCAC Baseball Series

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Framingham State Rams shutout the Worcester State Lancers in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) series played on Monday (Apr. 18) at the Lyons Diamond on the campus of Worcester State. With the duo of wins, Framingham State improves to 10-14 (5-3 MASCAC), while the Lancers dip to 10-18 (1-7 MASCAC).

GAME ONE: Framingham State 4, Worcester State 0

The Rams won the game in the top of the second inning when they scored four runs on six hits. Framingham State's Ryan Connelly (W. Roxbury, Mass.) started the inning out with a single through the right side, from where Anthony Venuti (Braintree, Mass.) came up next to hit a double to right center to score Connelly at the plate for the first run of the game. After advancing to third on a ground out, Venuti plated another run on, yet, another double to centerfield from Jake Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.). Next, the Rams hit three back-to-back singles from Matt Brockett (Guilford, Conn.), Ryan Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.), and Jon Chapman (Waltham, Mass.) to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

Framingham State's pitching staff of Manny Powers (Malden, Mass.), Brendan McDonough (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Christopher Riga (Westfield, Mass.) held the Lancers to only four hits throughout the entirety of the game. Worcester's only hits came from Jake Ryan (Northbridge, Mass.) who went 2-for-3 with a double, Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.) who went 1-for-3, and John Boyd (Worcester, Mass.) who also went 1-for-3.

The Rams were led by R. Wardwell who registered a .750 batting average (3-for-4) with one RBI. J. Wardwell hit a perfect 2-for-2, while Connelly and Chapman batted .666 (2-3) and .500 (2-4), respectively. Three Rams (J. Wardwell, RJ Gray (Lowell, Mass.), and Venuti) each logged a double, while Connelly had a game-high two stolen bases.

Ma. Powers pitched five innings for the win, as he only allowed two hits and struck out two at the plate. McDonough and Riga each came in for one inning, and only gave up one hit apiece. Worcester State's Kevin Valentine (Milford, Mass.) suffered the loss as he pitched three innings and allowed four runs on nine hits.

GAME TWO: Framingham State 6, Worcester State 0

After shutting out the Lancers in game one, the Rams did it again in the nightcap as they scored six runs on ten hits to conclude the day with a sweep of the series. Al Wallach (Nahant, Mass.) earned the shutout as he pitched a complete game and only gave up five hits in the seven innings played.

The Rams scored one run in the top of the 1^st, two runs in the top of the 2^nd, and three runs in the top of the 3^rd to ring in their six runs to win the game.

Ryan Wardwell (Hudson, Mass.) started the scoring out in the top of the 1^st when he slammed a double to left center to score teammate Ryan Connelly (W. Roxbury, Mass.) at the plate for the early 1-0 advantage.

The Rams managed to score two runs in the second when RJ Gray (Lowell, Mass.) started the inning with a rocket down the left field line. Gray advanced to scoring position when the next batter grounded out, and then eventually scored on an RBI-single from Cole Josselyn (Hampton, NH). Josselyn then reached home plate on a single up the middle from Connelly, advancing the score to 3-0 in their favor.

After Worcester State marked two outs early in the top of the third, the Rams still managed to score three runs as Manny Powers (Malden, Mass.) doubled, Gray singled through the left side, and then Anthony Venuti (Braintree, Mass.) came up to score Powers at the plate on an RBI-single up the middle. Joesselyn closed the scoring out for the Rams as he plated two runs on an RBI-single to centerfield, to give Framingham State the 6-0 benefit.

Three Rams batted .666 (2-for-3) in the nightcap, including Gray (double), Venuti, and Josselyn. Josselyn grabbed the game-high three RBI on the afternoon, and also registered a stolen base on the offensive end.

For the Lancers, Mike Ferrara (Easton, Mass.) counted for three of the Lancers' five hits, batting a perfect 1.000 against the Rams' Wallach. Josh Pageau (Millbury, Mass.) and Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.) grabbed the remaining two. Kyle Sullivan (Hudson, Mass.) marked his fourth loss of the season, pitching six innings and giving up six runs on 10 hits. Sullivan struck out six batters while on the mound.

The Lancers return to action tomorrow (Apr. 19) when they will host Brandeis in a 3:00 p.m. non-conference game. Framingham State also resumes play tomorrow when they will travel to Endicott for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.