FITCHBURG, Mass. (April 13, 2010) - The Fitchburg State baseball
team snapped its two-game losing streak this afternoon as the
Falcons exploded past Rivier College, 15-2 in non-conference
action.
Fitchburg State used a combination of timely hitting and plate
patience, belting out nine hits and collecting ten walks. Junior
Dave Alexander (Torrington, Conn./Torrington) led the Falcon attack
again, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and one run scored,
while sophomore Andrew Foster (E. Bridgewater, Mass./E.
Bridgewater) added a 1-for-2 day with a trio of walks and three
runs scored .
Freshman Andrew Manning (Burlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic)
and sophomore Bobby Ewing (South Dennis, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth)
sparked the Falcons off the bench, combining for three hits, two
runs scored and three RBI. Manning jolted the Fitchburg State
lineup with his first collegiate hit (double) and a pair of RBI,
while Ewing hit a perfect 2-for-2 with one run scored and one RBI.
The Raiders first baseman Aramis Velez (Lowell,
MA) got things going for the Raiders with 2 outs in the
first inning with a single up the middle to give Rivier their first
base runner. Senior Chris Hunt (Lisbon, NH)
drilled a double into left-center field that drove Velez all
the way around to score to give the Raiders the quick 1-0
advantage.
Raiders starting pitcher Tyler Eaton (Waterville,
ME) was able to keep the Fitchburg bats quite for the
first 2 innings of work, but some control problems in the third
opened the flood gates and the Falcons exploded for 11
runs. The Falcons took advantage of four Rivier errors,
seven walks and four wild pitches to plate their runs as junior
Nick Rocheleau (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) capped the inning
with a three-run single to right field.
In the fourth, Fitchburg State continued to pressure the Rivier
pitching staff, adding three runs on three hits and one walk.
Manning plated a pair of runs in the Falcons rally with a
line-drive double down left field while also scoring on a Raider
error.
Senior Corey Donovan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) earned the victory
on the mound for Fitchburg State (1-0), going the first five
innings with only one earned run, three hits and two strikeouts.
Senior Matt Morrison (Beverly, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) and freshman
Mike McLaughlin (Boston, Mass./Boston Latin) each tossed a solid
inning in relief for the Falcons, while junior Tyler Eaton suffered
the loss for the Raiders, yielding seven runs (four earned) over
the first 2.1 innings of the contest.
Fitchburg State (9-9, 1-3 MASCAC) will be back in action on
Thursday as it travels to Elms College at 7:30 p.m. Rivier (3-17,
2-8 GNAC) will visit Newbury College tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
