BUZZARDS BAY — The Massachusetts Maritime Academy baseball team remained in the middle of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) playoff hunt Tuesday afternoon with a doubleheader split versus Bridgewater State.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s William Keane went 2-4 in a 6-2 win over Bridgewater State Tuesday afternoon in Buzzards Bay.
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The Buccaneers defeated the visiting Bears at Commodore Hendy Field in the first game of the doubleheader, 6-2, but then could muster just one hit in the nightcap against Bears’ senior righty Adam Mullen (Fairhaven). Mullen went the distance for his first win of the season, struck out five and walked four. The Bears took home the win, 2-0. The sole hit Mullen allowed from the Buccaneers was a fifth inning, leadoff, first-pitch double by Greg Downs (Marshfield).
Massachusetts Maritime is tied for fourth place with Westfield State in the eight-team conference and the Bucs have defeated the top two teams at least once in conference play thus far this season.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Buccaneer starting pitcher Dan Avery went four innings and allowed no runs as well as one hit and one walk. Senior righty Zac Cooney started the fifth inning and was solid through the remainder of the game in spite of the Bears’ two-run rally in the fifth. Cooney struck out three and walked none in the hard-luck loss.
Inthe first game, Massachusetts Maritime junior southpaw Kevin Kwedor (Marshfield) improved to 4-2 on the season in allowing a run and striking out three over the first three frames. Junior Kyle Kennedy (Woodbury, CT) scattered a pair of hits and fanned four over the final three innings to earn his second save in three days for the Buccaneers, as he has tossed 15 2/3 scoreless innings over his last three appearances. Junior Travis Ritchie (Taunton) collected two of Bridgewater State’s eight hits in the opening game setback, as junior David Holmes (North Easton) went the distance on the mound for the Bears in allowing just two earned runs and fanning four to fall to 1-4 on the spring.
Massachusetts Maritime freshman Logan Sullo (Dartmouth) paced the Buccaneers’ lineup in the first game with a 3-4 day at the plate, as did William Keane (Braintree) who went 2-4 with two runs scored. Jonah Olsen and Connor Kennedy picked up key runs batted in for the Buccaneers.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s Kyle Kennedy picked up his second save this week and took his scoreless innings pitched to 15 2/3 over Bridgewater State Tuesday afternoon.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports Photos
Massachusetts Maritime took advantage of four Bridgewater State errors to go along with eight hits to post the 6-2 MASCAC victory.
The host Buccaneers (9-9, 4-4 MASCAC) used three unearned runs in the bottom of the second to take an early lead in the opening contest, as the visiting Bears (5-13, 2-6 MASCAC) committed three consecutive errors, including an errant throw on a sacrifice bunt attempt by freshman Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable), who later stole home on a first and third double steal.
Bridgewater State got a run back in the third on an RBI single by senior Kevin Sugermeyer (Hampden), and the visitors closed to within a run in the fourth when sophomore Billy Mitchell (Walpole) scored on a wild pitch. Massachusetts Maritime extended its advantage to 5-2 in the fifth on a fielder’s choice groundout by sophomore Jonah Olsen (Falmouth) and Connor Kennedy’s RBI-single, and the hosts closed out the scoring in the sixth with an unearned run on an error.
Bridgewater State provided Mullen with all the support he would need in the top of the fifth of the nightcap, as senior Sean Brooks (Braintree) snapped a scoreless game with an RBI-single and scored an insurance run on an error.
Massachusetts Maritime heads to North Adams on Saturday afternoon to take on the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a MASCAC doubleheader that begins at 1:00 pm, while Bridgewater State travels to Milton Wednesday (April 15) to square off with Curry in a non-league outing beginning at 3:30 pm.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm. Portions of this story were provided by Massachusetts Maritime Academy Director of Sports Information Jim Seavey
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