BASEBALL
SALEM — Stephen Keskinidis (Stoneham, MA) struck out nine batters in a 14-1 game two victory as the Vikings of Salem State split an afternoon doubleheader with the Bears of Bridgewater State. The Bears took game one with a 7-4 victory behind Reed Pike’s (Bellingham, MA) three RBI’s to earn their first conference win. The split set the Bears to 7-9 on the season while evening their record at 1-1 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. Salem State goes to 10-11 and 1-1 in league play.
Game One
Working quickly through the first two frames, Steve Leavitt (Peabody, MA) kept the Bears off the scoreboard until midway through the third inning. Bridgewater State starter Connor Birch (Bellingham, MA) was working as effectively as he collected five strikeouts after the first two innings. The Bears’ offense helped out Birch with a five-run third inning.
Leavitt gave up six consecutive hits, including an RBI-triple from Matt Cassese (Taunton, MA) that scored Anthony Licciardello (Haverhill, MA), who singled to start off the inning. Pike followed up with an RBI-single up the middle that scored Cassese to put the Bears ahead 2-0. Leadoff hitter Ryan Kelleher (Danvers, MA) then answered with an infield single. Matt Levasseur (Milton, MA) enhanced the Bears lead to 3-0 when he drove in Pike with an RBI-single to right field. Kelleher was able to push the lead to 4-0 after a Leavitt wild pitch with Ryan Feeney (E. Bridgewater, MA) standing at the plate. Leavitt couldn’t get around Feeney as the shortstop charged the ball into center field for an RBI-single that gave Bridgewater State a 5-0 advantage.
Leavitt was able get past the trouble and pitched well into the fifth inning before being replaced by JP Reiling (Nahant, MA) after loading the bases. Meanwhile, Birch held Salem State to only one hit until the fourth inning. Birch walked four Vikings in the inning as Joe Kasper (Lynn, MA) crossed the plate with the first run of the game.
Pike knocked in two runs with a bloop single to the right center field gap that scored Licciardello and Zack Churchey (W. Wareham, MA) in the sixth.
Trailing 7-1, Salem State desperately needed some production from their bats. After two quick ground outs from Dan Connors (Danvers, MA) and Joe White (Bellingham, MA), Nick Day (Lynn, MA) mashed a solo homerun over the center field wall to chip away at the large deficit.
After Reiling shut down the side in the top of the final inning, Salem State had one last chance at a comeback. The Vikings added two more runs off reliever Mike Nader (Hollywood, FL) after a White two-run single, but couldn’t add anything more as Nader prevented more damage to secure the 7-4 win.
Birch (2-1) got the win with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work while allowing only two runs. Leavitt (1-3) drew the loss as he tossed 5.2 innings as well, striking out five and allowing eight runs (seven earned).
Pike led the Bears’ offense with a 2-for-3 day with three RBI’s. Licciardello also added two runs scored while he went 2-for-3 from the plate. White drove in half of Salem State’s runs with the two-run single in the bottom of the seventh.
Game Two
After giving up three consecutive singles to start off the game, Stephen Keskinidis (Stoneham, MA) buckled down after the one-run inning and shutout the Bears the rest of the way to earn a complete game win. Meanwhile, the Vikings had an outburst of offense that gave them a 3-1 lead after two innings played. Brandon Greene (Winchester, MA) drove in two runs with a single to right field that scored White and Kasper. With the next at bat, Zac Duval (Middleton, MA) added to the lead on a fielder’s choice that brought in Day.
Bridgewater State starter Samuel Devine (Bourne, MA) struggles continued in the following inning as he surrendered three more hits in the third that led to Salem State reaching a 5-1 edge. Greene struck again with a two RBI-double to the left center field gap that scored White and Kasper again. Shawn Smeglin (Wakefield, MA) replaced Devine in the next at bat to escape the inning.
Keskinidis kept the Bears scoreless in the fourth while his team’s bats gave him some insurance with a huge five-run inning. During that inning, Connors and Greene both brought in two runs apiece with a single and a double. In addition, Kasper tacked on a run with an RBI-single that scored Tyler Galimi (Northbridge, MA).
Kevin Bresciani (Hopedale, MA) came on to pitch in the bottom of the fifth for Bridgewater State, but the Salem State bats were still hot. Salem State added four runs in the inning which came from RBI-singles from Connors, Kasper, Day, and Greene to raise their lead to 14-1.
Keskinidis gave the bullpen a day off as his rhythm was never broken to close out the final innings with three strikeouts to secure the 14-1 victory.
The sophomore went seven innings in the win as he fanned nine Bears while allowing eight hits. Devine (3-1) drew the loss in only 2.2 innings of work where he gave up five runs off six hits. Smeglin went 1.1 innings pitched giving up five runs off four hits. Bresciani finished the final two innings where he allowed four runs (two earned) off five hits.
Greene had a huge day at the plate going a perfect 4-for-4 with six runs batted in while Kasper was also a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs scored. White finished 3-for-3 with four runs scored. Connors added three RBI’s with a 2-for-4 day while scoring three times as well.
Salem State will resume action on Sunday, Apr. 9 as they host the Trailblazers of MCLA in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Bears season continues on Sunday, Apr. 9 as well when they host the Owls of Westfield State at 1:00 p.m. for a doubleheader.
SOFTBALL
SALEM – Chloe Manousos (Lowell, Mass.) went 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBI’s as Salem State opened up Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play with a 4-2 victory over Bridgewater State in game one of their scheduled doubleheader. In game two, Kacie Carvalho (Fairhaven, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with three RBI to help the Bears earn the split. Salem State is now 11-5 and 1-1 in the MASCAC while Bridgewater State goes to 7-11, and 1-1 in conference.
Salem State plated two in the first, taking advantage of a throwing error by Bridgewater State. Marisa Sanchez (Framingham, Mass.), who singled and Manousos who walked, both scored on a throwing error by the shortstop.
Bridgewater State rallied in the third, as two infield singles, set up a run-scoring double to left by Carvalho. Shannon Grindle (Halifax, Mass.) followed with a base hit to center that scored Breanna Shaffer (Plainville, Mass.), but Carvalho was cut down at the plate trying to score from second keeping the game tied 2-2.
The Vikings went ahead 4-2 in the fifth as Manousos blasted a two-run triple to right that scored Jen Crovo (Melrose, Mass.) and Sanchez with two outs.
Meghan Black (Winchendon, Mass.) pitched a complete game to pick up her seventh win of the season, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk. Kathleen Bailey (Bayport, Mass.) went the distance for the Bears in the loss, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
Crovo finished with a single and two stolen bases while Sanchez had two runs scored for the Vikings. Carvalho and Grindle had two hits apiece for Bridgewater State.
The Bears opened the second game, by loading the bases on two walks an error. However, starter IIeish Burney (Bristol, Conn.) prevented a big inning by getting Grindle to ground into a double play that produced just one run before retiring the side. Salem State got one back in the bottom of the inning as Samantha Holey (Lynn, Mass.) knocked in Sanchez to tie the game.
Three singles set up a three-run second inning for the Bears. Breanna Shaffer (Plainville, Mass.) produced the first run with a bases loaded groundout to second. With runners on second and third Carvalho doubled down the left field line to score two more as Bridgewater State built a 4-1 lead.
Bailey replaced Bears starting pitcher Deianeira Underhill (Rochester, Mass.) in the second after Salem State threatened after two Bridgewater State errors. Bailey worked out of the inning as the Vikings just scored one run on the Bears third error of the inning. Underhill went 1.1 innings and allowed two runs on one hit with two walks.
In the fifth, back-to-back doubles by Jackie Welch (Hubbardston, Mass.) and Morgan Cox (Dennis Port, Mass.) made the score 5-2 as Black replaced Burney on the mound for Salem State. Samantha LoPilato (Medford, Masss.) and Shaffer followed with RBI singles before Carvalho made the score 8-2 with Bridgewater State’s sixth hit of the inning. A line drive double play back to the pitcher finally ended the inning.
Salem State plated single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, but could not get to Bailey, who recorded her fifth win of the season by allowing just two runs (one earned) on three hits with two strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
Black finished the game for the Vikings going 2.2 innings and allowing six hits and two runs.
Salem State hosts MCLA tomorrow in a make-up doubleheader from April 1. Bridgewater State entertains Westfield State also at 1:00 PM on Sunday.
