The fifth seed Mass. Maritime baseball team rallied from  5-0 deficit to defeat sixth seed Fitchburg State 7-5 in an elimination game of the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Baseball Tournament at Bowditch Field.   

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 7, Falcons 5

Records: Maritime (22-18)

               Fitchburg (19-21)

On The Mound

Maritime: Brodey Tinkham (W, 5-3): 9 IP | 13 H | 5 R | 5 ER | 0 BB | 4 K

Fitchburg: Adam Wholley (L, 2-6): 1 IP | 1 H | 2 R | 2 ER | 2 BB | 0 K
Jason Bickford: 5 IP | 7 H | 4 R | 4 ER | 2 BB | 3 K

At The Plate

Maritime

• John Tropea, Brett Velzis, and Frank Aten all recorded two hits in the win.
• Michael Logiudice, Zach Sylvia, Aidan Henderson, and AJ Pietrafesa each had one hit.
• Velzis and Pietrafesa each had a double in the game.
• Tropea, Logiudice, and Henderson drove in two runs apiece, Sylvia drove in one.
• Seven different Buccaneers scored runs.
• Logiudice was credited with a stolen base.

Fitchburg

• Nolan Hills had three hits in the game.
• Matthew Smith, Vincent Eramo, Jacob Hurrell, and Matthew Kelley all had two hits.
• Maxwell Kelly and Zachary Malek had a hit apiece.
• Smith, Hurrell, and Hills each recorded a double in the loss.
• Hills drove in two runs. Eramo, Hurrell, and Kelly drove in one each.
• Malek scored twice, Kelley, Eramo, and Hurrell each scored once.

How It Happened

The Falcons took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning getting to Tinkham for six hits and the four runs. 

In the top of the third, Fitchburg extended their lead to 5-0 on a Hills single to center field that scored Malek.

Tinkham settled down after the third and the Buccaneers bats came alive in the fifth. In the fifth frame, the Bucs scored four runs. Max Hefner scored first, Logiudice came home on a Sylvia single, Velzis and Sylvia scored on a Henderson single to center to bring Maritime within one run, 5-4, after five innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, Tropea singled to center field which brought in Perito and Estrada to give the Buccaneers a 6-5 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Bucs added insurance, getting a run on a Logiudice single that brought home Aten. The Bucs led 7-5 heading to the ninth.

Mike Kelley allowed his senior pitcher to finish the job in the ninth and Tinkham answered, retiring the side in order to secure the win, 7-5, for the Buccaneers and send them to Saturday's semifinal game.

What's Next

The Buccaneers will play either #1 Framingham State or #2 Bridgewater State on Saturday morning at 10am in Framingham. The Winner of the 10am game goes on to the Championship round at 2pm on Saturday.