BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Curry College baseball team came back from a three-run deficit before having to climb back again from two down to top the Bridgewater State Bears in non-conference action Wednesday evening. The victory brings the Colonels' record on the year to 8-14-1 while the Bears dip to 8-12.
Bridgewater took an early lead by pushing across a run in each of the first three innings on RBI hits by Jonathan Livolsi (Bridgewater, Mass.), Alexander Pappas (Lakeville, Mass.), and Dominic Precopio (Framingham, Mass.). The Colonels would not stay down long, however, as three errors by the Bears in the top of the fourth brought home just as many runs for Curry, leading to the visitors tying the game at three, despite not recording a hit in the inning. In the bottom half of the frame, the Bears continued to hammer Curry starter Ryan Williams (Waltham, Mass.), as he surrendered singles to three of the first four Bridgewater batters in the inning, capped by an RBI hit by Liam Bell (Wells, Maine) to drive in a pair and make the game 5-3. The score would hold until the seventh inning, when Bears starter Trever Dennett (Kingston, Mass.) began to fatigue. Dennett induced the leadoff man into a fly out, but walked the next batter he saw to hand Curry a baserunner. A sac bunt moved the runner into scoring position, but Dennett was pulled from the ball game as his pitch count approached triple digits. The guests gave the new pitcher a rude welcome, as Michael Strizzi (Williamstown, Mass.) greeted reliever Pavel Sprague (Hawley, Pa.) with an RBI single to cut the hosts' lead to one at 5-4. Strizzi stole second and wound up on third after a throwing error, but would be stranded there as Sprague escaped the threat. The Colonels would put Bridgewater into a jam once more, as a single, walk, and hit-by-pitch in the eighth loaded the bases, but the visitors again failed to capitalize and entered the bottom of the inning still trailing by a single run.
After a shutdown inning by Tyler Nadeau (Somerset, Mass.) in his fourth inning of work, the Colonels got right back to work in the ninth with their backs against the wall. Julian Jaume (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drew a walk to start the inning, before moving to second on a sac bunt. A batter later, Jaume scored easily on a Jason Leonard (Dedham, Mass.) double that tied the score at five. After Jared Keller (Oxford, Conn.) walked to put runners at first and second, catcher Evan Leveroni (Sandown, N.H.) picked up his fifth RBI of the season with a knock through the left side, scoring Leonard and giving Curry their first lead of the day. The Colonels loaded the bases after Garrett Fosher (Exeter, N.H.) reached on the sixth Bridgewater error of the day, but a foul out and a grounder kept the deficit at one. Looking to secure the win, Curry turned to Zachary Wensley (Raynham, Mass.), who came on in his eighth appearance of the year, but just his second in relief. The new pitcher kept the Bears hitless in the bottom of the ninth, giving up just one baserunner on a hit-by-pitch, to grab his first save of the year and send the Colonels home with a 6-5 triumph.
The top three spots of the Colonels' batting order carried the load in this one, as Jaume, Strizzi, and Leonard combined to go 4-for-12 with a walk, two RBI and three runs scored. Leveroni pitched in out of the five spot, with a run scored and an RBI. Nadeau picks up his first win of the year with four scoreless innings and the only two Curry strikeouts of the contest. Wensley's no-hit ninth nets him his first save. Ruben Gonzalez (Stoughton, Mass.) and Bell both turned in 2-for-5 days, while the latter scored a run and drove in a pair in the defeat. Chris Hanna (Kingston, N.H.) is assessed the loss as the deuces have him, with two hits, two walks, and two runs giving him his second loss of the year, despite going just an inning and a third.
Curry heads home to continue a grueling stretch of seven games in six days as they host Lesley College tomorrow, April 11. The non-conference opponents will get started at 3:00 p.m. Bridgewater takes an off day tomorrow but will return to the field Friday, April 12, as they visit MASCAC foe Fitchburg State to start a weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
For the latest on Curry Athletics, follow the Colonels via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
