Baseball rally comes up short in bizarre twinbill with Fitchburg

Worcester, MA- The MCLA Baseball team rallied from a 9-0 seventh inning deficit to force extra innings against Fitchburg State, however the Falcons scored twice in the eighth inning to claim an 11-9 game one victory.  In the nightcap, the Falcons rallied from a 5-3 deficit to tie the game at 5-5 after six frames before the game was called due to darkness.  With the results of the bizarre doubleheader, the Falcons are now 6-10-2 overall and 1-2-1 in the MASCAC.  MCLA is now 8-7-1 overall and is 1-2-1 in the conference.

The Falcons jumped all over the Trailblazers in the opener as they seemed destined to cruise to a 9-0 win.  MCLA did not go quietly however after struggling all afternoon against Falcon starter Ryan Towle.  

MCLA scored a run on a bases loaded walk from Towle which eventually chased him from the contest with one out in the seventh and his Falcons up 9-1, however the bases were loaded.  MCLA's Jeff Bink greeted Chiasson with a two run single to cut it to 9-3, still with one out.  Bill Pulasky's single brought home another run and when Brett LaBonte singled, the bases were loaded again and Fitchburg still led 9-4.

A pop up seemed to stunt the rally for the second out, but Nick DiSanti singled home two more runs bringing the score to 9-6.  Another walk loaded the bases and Ben Durland ripped a base hit scoring another run to make it 9-7.  Christian Seariac then delivered a game tying two run single bringing the Trailblazers all the way back at 9-9.  MCLA had a chance to win it, but Mooney got Logan Rumbolt looking to end the long inning and send it to extra frames.

MCLA had just two hits entering the inning, but ripped 7 hits to get back into it.

Fitchburg didn't wait long as Nicholas Cordeau (4-6, 6 RBI's) belted a two run home run off Brody Farnum to put the Falcons back on top at 11-9.  MCLA went quietly against Mooney in the eighth to give the Falcons the win.

Pulasky, LaBonte, and Durland each had two hits to pace the MCLA offense while Farnum was tagged with the loss.  The Falcons outhit MCLA 13-9 in the contest.

In the nightcap, both teams scored a pair of runs in the first inning.  LaBonte continued his hot bat with a two run double to even the score at 2-2.  The Falcons would surge in front 3-2 in the third but MCLA responded with two runs in the bottom half to take the lead.

MCLA took advantage of a Falcon miscue and then Jake Ferrara singled home Bink to make it 4-3 in favor of MCLA.  Ferrara once again was in the middle of the offense driving home his second run in the fifth inning to increas the lead to 5-3 heading to the sixth.

Fitchburg would score a pair of runs in the sixth to tie it up before the umpires would call the game on account of darkness.

Bobby New went the distance in the nightcap allowing just one earned run and striking out five Falcons.  LaBonte and Ferrara each had two hits in the inning.

MCLA is back in action on Wednesday when they head to Union (NY) for a 6pm non league contest.