MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Graduate righthander Matt Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) tossed the second perfect game in Bridgewater State University baseball history as the Bears opened the 2023 season with a 4-0 victory over Rivier University on Sunday night in the first game of a doubleheader at The Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Bridgewater completed the sweep of the twinbill with a 19-2 thumping in game two.
Josselyn retired all 21 batters he faced with an impressive 13 strikeouts. Only two balls left the infield, a fly out to center in the third and a fly out to right in the sixth. The game was completed in just 87 minutes.
The only other perfect game in program history was tossed by Shawn Cronin in 2000. Josselyn's perfect game also marked the Bears' first no-hitter since Andy Sadowksi in 2014.
The Bears pushed across four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore second baseman Scott Emerson (Peabody, Mass.) walked to lead of the frame and stole second. After an out, sophomore centerfielder DJ Prampin (Worcester, Mass.) recorded his first collegiate hit, a single into left field, with Emerson coming around to score on a throwing error by the left fielder. Senior first baseman Joey Molis (Cumberland, R.I.) followed with an RBI single up the middle to plate Prampin with the second run of the inning. Junior third baseman Kyle Suraci (Clinton, Conn.) was hit by a pitch and junior left fielder Cam James (Ipswich, Mass.) roped an RBI double down the left field line to score Molis. Freshman catcher Nolan DeAndrade (Bridgewater, Mass.) capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly in his first collegiate plate appearance.
Bridgewater stranded a runner on third base in the second inning and left the bases loaded in the third.
Freshman righthander Nolan Mederos (Nashua, N.H.) was tagged with the loss on the mound for the Raiders in his collegiate debut. Mederos gave up four runs on four hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts. He also hit three batters. Freshman right Sam Kalivas (Methuen, Mass.) also made his debut for Rivier. Kalivas came on in the bottom of the fifth and retired all six batters he faced.
Game Two
Graduate righthander David Kerns (East Cambridge, Mass.) hurled five solid innings and the BSU offense erupted for 19 runs on 15 hits (14 singles), 14 walks and five hit batsmen as the Bears rolled to a 19-2 win in the nightcap.
Kerns (1-0) gave up two runs on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Senior lefthander Harrison Loud (South Kingstown, R.I.) worked two scoreless innings of relief. Loud allowed two hits and a walk with one strikeout.
Thirteen different Bears reached base safely and ten recorded at least one hit.
The Bears got on the board with a run in the top of the first inning. Junior right fielder Jay Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) reached on a three-base error as the centerfielder dropped a fly ball, and then raced home on a wild pitch.
The Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in an eight-run second inning. DeAndrade singled to lead off the inning and consecutive walks to Suraci, freshman first baseman Joshua Selander (Granby, Conn.) and junior shortstop Kevin Lindsay (East Bridgewater, Mass.) forced in the first run. Emerson followed with an RBI single and back-to-back two-run singles by Prampin and Molis made it a 7-0 game. An RBI single by Suraci and a Rivier throwing error accounted for the final two runs of the inning.
The Raiders notched their first hit and run of the twinbill in the bottom of the second inning. Successive RBI singles by freshman right fielder Owen Medlock (Merrimack, N.H.) and freshman second baseman Jacob Plamondon (Manchester, N.H.) cut the deficit to 9-2.
Bridgewater got both runs back in the top of the third. Emerson was hit by a pitch with one out, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Wladkowski followed with an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch.
The Bears tacked on three more runs in the fourth to extend the lead to 14-2. With one out, Selander and Lindsay rapped back-to-back singles and Emerson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Selander's hit marked the first of his collegiate career. Wladkowski walked to force in a run and Lindsay raced home on a wild pitch. After a walk to Prampin reloaded the bases, freshman pinch hitter Dan Jasmin (East Meadow, N.Y.) worked a walk in his first collegiate at bat to bring home Emerson with the third run of the inning.
In the sixth, senior centerfielder Sean Goudey (Weymouth, Mass.) singled, James walked, and freshman third baseman Riley Thornell (Wareham, Mass.) was hit by pitch to load the bases with two outs. Selander forced in a run with a walk and Lindsay followed with an RBI infield single to make it a 16-2 game.
Freshman pinch hitter Scott Ritz (Quincy, Mass.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in his first collegiate at bat in the top of the seventh. Thornell followed with a walk to force in another run and Selander connected for an RBI single to extend the BSU lead to 19-2.
Lindsay (3-5, BB, 2R, 2RBI), Goudey (2-2, SB, 2R), Molis (2-2, BB, R, 2RBI) and Selander (2-4, 2BB, R, 2RBI) each recorded multiple hits for Bridgewater State. Emerson, who was hit by a pitch three times, went 1-for-3 with a stolen base, three runs and an RBI.
Six Rivier pitchers combined to give up 19 runs (17 earned) on 15 hits with 14 walks and four strikeouts. They also hit five batters.
The Bears' trip to Myrtle Beach and The Ripken Experience continues Monday afternoon with a three o'clock game against Manhattanville College.