Givhans Homers and Records a Save in Baseball’s Split at Worcester State

WORCESTER, Mass. – The MCLA Baseball Team started their conference schedule this afternoon when they traveled to Worcester State for an afternoon doubleheader. Clarence Givhans gave the Trailblazers the lead in the top of the seventh in the first game of the afternoon and then came in to close out the game in the bottom of the frame as MCLA earned their first conference win of the season.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Monday, April 1, 2024
• Game #1: MCLA 5, Worcester State 4
• Game #2: MCLA 2, Worcester State 22
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 4-11 (MASCAC 1-1) | Worcester State Lancers 2-11 (MASCAC 1-1)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • The first game of the afternoon will hold a place of honor in MCLA's Clarence Givhan's season highlight reel. He went 3-3 at the plate with a double, a home run, and three RBIs, all before he picked up his second save of the season.
  • Worcester State scored the game's first runs, putting up a run in the second inning and a pair of runs in the fourth inning, all before the Trailblazers scored their first run when Givhans followed an Edison Galan double to left with an RBI double of his own to right field.
  • The Lancers got the run back in the bottom of the frame before MCLA scored a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. The first run was scored by Henry Blake on a busted pickoff attempt of Ty Mazzeo when the Trailblazers had runners at the corners. Mazzeo then scored on a sacrifice fly by William Walsh.
  • After Garrett Brunette held the deficit to one run with a hitless bottom of the sixth inning, Givhans gave Worcester State's Nolan Turner a rude welcome into the game. Galan started the inning by taking a hit-by-pitch that facilitated the Lancers' change from Danny DiMassimo to Turner. Givhans then drove a 1-1 pitch to deep right-centerfield to put MCLA in front for the first time in the afternoon.
  • The Lancers had one final chance but were thwarted again by Givhans, who allowed only a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh to pick up his second save of the year.
  • Brunette pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the Trailblazers to pick up his first win of the season, evening his record at 1-1. On the flip side, Turner struck out three in one inning of relief but took the loss for Worcester State, falling to 0-1.
• Game #2
  • The nightcap didn't go nearly as well for MCLA. The Lancers scored multiple runs in four separate innings, including a nine-run fifth inning, en route to a 22-2 victory.
  • Galan led off the third inning for the Trailblazers with his first home run of the season, going deep on the first pitch he saw from Worcester starter Mike Bean to cut the lead at the time to 4-1.
  • MCLA did add one more run in the seventh inning. Matt Castillo hit a one-out single to left field and moved to second on Joshua Bissaillon's single right. With a runner in scoring position, coach Mike Gladu went to his bench, using Ben Cornish as a pinch runner for Castillo and asking TJ Platt to pinch hit for Josh Bologh. Platt hit a groundball to the shortstop's right, but the throw from the shortstop was high in addition to arriving at pretty much the same time as Platt. Cornish then scampered home with what would be the game's final run.
  • Bean scattered six hits over five innings to pick up his first win, leveling his record at 1-1. The Trailblazers' Nate Morse was saddled with the loss, lowering his record for the year to 1-3.

UP NEXT:

On Tuesday, MCLA will be back in action when they play host to this same Worcester State team for a MASCAC matchup with the Lancers at Joe Wolfe Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

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