Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Baseball team returned to action this afternoon to take on the Salem State Vikings in two 7-inning battles to remain undefeated in the MASCAC. The games were initially scheduled as Worcester State home games for yesterday, but the weather shifted the location, but Worcester State remained the home team for both battles in the afternoon.
Game one found Salem on the scoreboard early capitalizing on a single and a walk that placed runners on. Salem was able only to come away with a single run as senior Cole Glassburn(Hopkinton MA) was able to grab the final out on a looking Salem's Jellison to close out the inning. The Lancers had a chance to respond at the bottom of the inning but were shut out of the action. Salem and the Lancers would each come up empty in the second and third innings before an error by senior Chris Ausiello(Tyngsboro, MA) allowed an additional Vikings run to score. Salem was quick to follow the play up with a line drive to left field to jump ahead 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. The score would remain set until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Lancers would reclaim a run. Senior Zach Roberts(Northbridge, MA) scored off a double by junior Tom Halliwell (Leominster, MA) after recording his own single off a fly ball to right field placed him on base.
Worcester State made quick work of the Vikings in the sixth, forcing them out with just three. The Lancers also saw themselves in a 3-and-out situation which saw a strikeout, a ground-out, and a pop-out. In the Top of the 7th, the Lancers saw excellent defensive pitching which forced an early ground out to steer off the Vikings extending their lead. Two more quick outs were seen as the Lancers headed into the final inning with a 2-run deficit.
A Single to lead off the final inning by Roberts had a line drive into the left field. The good hitting performance could not be replicated for the rest of the Lancers in the line up with two strikeouts and a pop-out being the reasons why the victors of the first game were the Vikings.
The second match of the day started after a 20-minute intermission period. The Vikings went straight to business recording a triple and bringing one run in after seeing 7 in the lineup make a plate appearance. The Lancers were no slouches and also saw a productive first inning. This inning saw an Ausiello three-run homer after a single and a hit-by-pitch saw runners on first and second. That home run is the Lancer's fifth of the year. After the 3-run homer, the Lancers would see a walk and ground out as the scoreline read 3-1.
The Vikings managed to cut their deficit to 3-2 after a dropped third pitch saw one runner brought in. Going into the 3rd inning the Lancers looked to expand their lead.
The inning started well with an in-play error resulting in a runner making their way to first base. The next at-bat saw a single being added to the state sheet by Roberts. Roberts and first year Gavin Wells(Attleboro, MA) were on first and second but only Wells managed to stay on base after the next at-bat with a double play resulting in two outs but a runner at 3rd. The next at-bat saw two runs being scored from an error after a deep center field hit. One of the first in-the-park home runs of the season for the Lancers. The rest of the inning saw two batters make their way to first and second but a strikeout saw the end of the inning. Scoreline after it was 5-2.
Going into the third inning the Vikings saw their first batter in the lineup get on base after being hit by a pitch. That runner found his way home after a double on a full count. This offensive output was followed by three quick outs. The Bottom of the 3rd for the Lancers was the most productive as 5 of the players had successful at-bats which resulted in 4 runs being brought in. The contact-hitting of the Lancers has always been a strength on this team. The inning ended with a ground out, but the Worcester State staff certainly was happy with how their team responded to their earlier defeat.
The next couple of innings saw many three and outs from both sides which inevitably saw the pace of the game slow down. The Lancers in the bottom of the 6th fell victim to a 6-4-3 double play with there being only one out on the board. With the Vikings having the top of the order it all came down to the final inning with the scoreline at 9-3. Salem continued their negative offensive form and had another 3 and out to wrap up the second game of the series. A good performance offensively and defensively which saw 9 total strikeouts and 9 total runs.
Worcester State (6-11, 2-1) return to action on Thursday at 3:30pm when they play host for their second MASCAC series, this time taking on MCLA.