Fitchburg State Falls Twice Against Rhode Island

Falcons edged 1-0 game one; fall 13-11 in game two

MELBOURNE, Fla. (March 14, 2010) – The Fitchburg State baseball team opened up its 2010 campaign today, battling Rhode Island College in an afternoon double-header at Warner Southern University. The Falcons suffered a tough 1-0 loss in the first contest, before falling 13-11 in game two.

Rhode Island 1, Fitchburg State 0

Junior Gary Levesque (East Providence, R.I./East Providence)lifted Rhode Island to a 1-0, game-one victory, scoring the game’s lone run with a solo homerun in the bottom of the first inning.  Levesque drove a shot over the centerfield wall just out of the reach of Falcons centerfielder Bobby Ewing (South Dennis, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth)for his first homerun of the season.

After five innings of scoreless play, Fitchburg State threatened in the top of the seventh as junior John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole),2-for-3 in the contest, led off the frame with a double to center field and later moved to third on an Anchormen error. The Falcons rally ended quickly however as RIC junior reliever Matthew Thaddeio (West Greenwich, R.I./Bishop Hendricken)closed the door, recording a groundball and strikeout for the two-out save.

Senior Paul Vatter (Warwick, Mass./Pilgrim)tossed the first 6.1 innings for Rhode Island, totaling eight strikeouts with only four hits allowed .Fitchburg State sophomore Michal Mercier (Townsend, Mass./Saint Bernards) matched Vatter step for step throughout the contest, registering a complete game effort for the Falcons. The second-year thrower yielded only one earned run on three hits, while posting seven K’s.

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Rhode Island 13, Fitchburg State 11

In the nightcap, Fitchburg State tallied a game-high 18 hits, but Rhode Island rallied with eight runs over the final two innings to collected a 13-11 victory.

RICKY GRAHAM

Junior Ricky Graham (Walpole, Mass./Walpole)led the Falcons hitting display with three hits, including his first homerun of the season, while freshman Cody Bamforth (Vernon, Conn./Rockville)also chipped in with a homer, two runs scored and one RBI. Junior Nick Rocheleau (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) finished the day 3-for-5 with one run scored and three RBI, while Michal Mercier added three base-knocks and two runs scored.

Trailing 5-1 after four and half innings, Fitchburg State exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth to grab a 7-5 lead. The Falcons belted seven hits in the scoring surge, batting around their order and taking advantage of two Anchormen errors. Ewing sparked the rally with two singles and one RBI, while Rochleau added a line drive single to right-center to plate a pair.

In the sixth, Rhode Island answered back, scoring five runs (four unearned) on three Falcon errors for a 10-7 lead. In the bottom half, Fitchburg State inched closer, using the long ball to cut the Rhode Island lead to only one. Graham ignited the Falcons power display with a deep drive to left-center, while Bamforth notched his first collegiate homerun with a solo shot to left.

Holding a slim one-run lead, Rhode Island posted a trio of insurance runs in the top of the seventh frame as senior Jared Rossi (Johnston, R.I./NE Christian Academy)laced a two-out, two RBI single to left field. Fitchburg State didn’t go quietly, battling in the bottom of the inning as Rocheleau and Graham tallied a pair of RBI hits. With runners on the corner and two down, Rhode Island turned to its bullpen again, setting up Thaddeio for his second save of the day with a one-out performance.

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Fitchburg State (0-2, 0-0 MASCAC) returns to action tomorrow as it battles Ramapo College at 3:30 p.m. Rhode Island (3-1, 0-0 LEC) will face Bowdoin College in a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m.