Baseball season comes to close with games against Salem State

Williamstown, MA-- The Salem State baseball team erupted for 20 runs on the afternoon as the Vikings took a pair of MASCAC tilts this afternoon from MCLA.  The Vikings took the opener 7-2 before rolling to a 13-2 win in the nightcap.  Salem State ends the regular season at 21-17 overall and 11-10 in the conference.  They'll be the fifth seed in next week's conference tournament.  MCLA ends the season at 11-27 overall and 2-19 in the league.

Game One: Salem State 7, MCLA 2

The Vikings took control early in the opener as they scored five times in the first inning off MCLA starter Aidan Brett.  Brett had some control issues as three straight Viking players were walked home to make it 3-0 early on.   Wilbur Morel would follow up with a two run double capping the inning and the visitors led 5-0 and chasing Brett in the process.

MCLA would settle down and chip away as Austin Rachiele's single scored Sam Larabee in the second inning and then Randy Adams added a sac fly in the fifth to make it 5-2.  The Salem bullpen would limit any further damage as they tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.

The Vikings would add two insurance tallies in the seventh inning to put the game away.  The key blow was a double off the bat of Zach Piroh.

Salem's Jake Boucher would close things out in the seventh notching two strikeouts in the process.  The Viking offense benefitted from 9 walks on the afternoon.  TJ Beninati and Piroh each had two hits in the win.

Rachiele led the offense with two hits.  MCLA mustered just three hits in the game.

Game Two: Salem State 13, MCLA 2

Once again the Vikings jumped out to a big lead as they led 5-0 after one and a half innings.  Piroh and Beninati capped the scoring with RBI singles.  MCLA got two runs back in the bottom of the second when Jayco Pena lifted his first collegiate home run that also brought around Ty Mazzeo to make it 5-2.  

The Vikings answered in the fourth scoring three times before blowing the game open with three more tallies in the fifth.  

The run support was plenty for Brock Pare.  He went six innings, allowed just three hits and two runs while striking out 10 Trailblazers.  Piroh was 2-4 with two RBI's while Jack Sefrino was a perfect 2-2 with three runs batted in.

MCLA's Isaiah Tucker absorbed the loss going the first three innings.