Lancers Advance to Double Elimination, Sinking Buccaneers

Worcester, MA- After sealing the third seed this past weekend, the Worcester State Baseball team (18-18, 16-8) travelled to second seeded Salem State for the opening day of the MASCAC tournament. The Lancers opened up the tournament versus #6 seeded Mass. Maritime in a winner advance game and closed out the day advancing to the double elimination round and a game against the second seeded Salem State, who ended the Lancers season last year in the play-in round.

Final

Mass.Maritime: 11

Worcester State: 14

How it Happened:

It would be an action heavy top of the first for the Buccaneers as they recorded six runs to grab the focus in game one. It would take until the bottom of the second for Worcester to begin to work their way into the deficit as junior Tad Giardina (Reading, MA) would score off a junior Derek De La Cruz (Providence, RI) single up the middle for the first Lancer run of the game. 

Mass. Maritime would claim the run back in the top of the third but Worcester would put the pedal down in the third as junior Kevin Doyle (Bridgewater, MA) would score, after getting hit by a pitch, of a junior Tyler Normandie (Lowell, MA) grounder. A senior Mason Bates (Shrewsbury, MA) walk would load the bases for Giardina, who would single to left field for senior Nathan Thurber (Framingham, MA) to make the score 7-3. A fielding error would keep the bases loaded and score junior Alan Carpenter (Richmond, RI) for the 7-4 tally. De La Cruz would again make solid contact, this time to center field, to send home Bates while sophomore Riggs Catlin (Dedham. MA) would record an RBI on his fielder choice as Giardina made the score 7-6. Worcester would tie up the action as Doyle would hit into the final out but not before junior Ryan Jewett (Natick, MA) crossed home plate.  

The bottom of the fourth would find the Lancers claim the lead as  Bates would single through the right side allowing Normandie to score while a throwing error would send in Carpenter for the 9-7 lead. The Buccaneers would settle the score back at nine in the top of the fifth in the back and forth battle. 

Worcester would again load the bases in the bottom of the fifth as Carpenter was walked to send De la Cruz in for run 10. A Normandie fielder's choice would bring in the second out but also Doyle for the run which was quickly followed up by Bates doubling to right field to send Thurber across for a 12-9 Worcester lead. A passed ball would complete Normandie's circuit with the 13th Lancer run. 

An additional run would come in the bottom of the sixth with a De La Cruz homer to right field to solidify the 14-9 lead. Senior Nolan Turner (Barnstable, MA) would stay solid through the last three innings, until the Buccaneers nailed a double to center to record two runs. Junior Matt Direnzo (Leicester, MA) would step in to close things out with one out on the board for Worcester and send them to the next game on the day versus the Vikings.

Final

Worcester State: 10

Salem State: 20

How it Happened:

Worcester would get off to a quick start in game two as a Doyle groundout would send in De La Cruz along with a Carpenter single to right bringing in Catlin. The Vikings were quick to take command of the situation in the bottom of the first as they grabbed 11 runs to make a mark early.

The bottom of the third found two more runs for the Vikings but Worcester would claim a run back off a sacrifice fly by Giardina to send across Bates for a 13-3 score.

The Vikings would grab another two runs before Worcester had a surge in the fifth as Normandie sac flew to right to send in Catlin and Bates tripled to send in Carpenter and Doyle for a 15-6 score. Salem made quick work of getting the runs back though claiming three in the bottom of the fifth and an 18-6 score.

Worcester would again come up big in the sixth as they recorded four runs, one on a balk that sent across Jewett, a single from Carpenter that scored Doyle and De La Cruz and finally a Normandie double to left center for four of the inning with Carpenter. Salem though was not done and hit the early night as they recorded two runs in the bottom of the sixth and closed out the seventh for the 20-10 victory. 

What's Next:

Worcester now awaits the loser of the Bridgewater vs Westfield game to determine who they will face tomorrow at Bridgewater State at 12pm in the MASCAC Semifinals Elimination bracket.