Fast Start Paces Fitchburg State Past Baseball

RINDGE, N.H. – The Fitchburg State baseball team extend its winning streak to three games, defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology, 10-4 in non-conference action this afternoon at Pappas Field on the campus of Franklin Pierce University.

Fitchburg State took the lead in the bottom of the first when senior David Mason (Leominster, Mass.) drove in junior Patrick McMahon (South Windsor, Conn.) with a groundout, while freshman Steven Drury, Jr. (Ashburnham, Mass.) connected for his second home run of the season before classmate Mike St. John (Rehoboth, Mass.) plated sophomore Brendan Cutler (Lancaster, Mass,) with an RBI single to right for the 4-0 advantage.

The Falcons quickly upped its margin to 6-0 in their next at bat as Brendan Cutler connected on a two run single to left field. McMahon drew a walk to lead off the inning, moved to second on a base hit by Mason and Drury advanced both runners into scoring position with a ground out to first base.

The score would remain 6-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning when junior Pierce Hans (Washington Township, N.J.) doubled to left and scored on an RBI single to center by St. John to make the score 7-0.

Fitchburg State extended its lead in the bottom half of the seventh stanza as Drury reached on an error and came around to score on an RBI triple off the bat of Brendan Cutler, who crossed the plate on the fielding error for the 9-0 lead.

The Leopards would get on the board in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI double from freshman Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.), a hit batsman, and a two run single to left field by senior Paul Dassau (Franklin, Mass.) to cut the deficit to 9-4.

The hosts secured its 11th victory of the season in the bottom of the eighth when McMahon drew a two out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored when Mason laced a double to left center, resulting in the 10-4 final.

On the hill, newcomer Kyle Cutler (Lancaster, Mass.) put forth a solid effort for the Falcons, yielding no runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings of work, while junior Dakota Baird (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.) took the loss for Wentworth, allowing nine runs on eight hits and three strikeouts in seven innings pitched.

Fitchburg State's offensive charge was led by Brendan Cutler, who finished 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and three RBI, while St. John was also strong, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Dassau paced the Leopard offense with a single and two RBI, while senior Jon Spitz (Hanover, Mass.) and Burst combined for two hits, including a double, one run scored and a pair of RBI.

Fitchburg State (11-3) returns to action on Tuesday as it visits UMass Boston for a contest starting at 3:30 p.m. Wentworth (7-4) will be at Roger Williams University on Sunday for a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.

(Recap Courtesy of Fitchburg State Sports Information)