PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Bridgewater State University baseball posted a 4-3 walk-off win in ten innings over the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Wednesday night at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida.
The win marked the first of the season for the Bears who improve to 1-4. The Panthers fall to 4-5 with their second straight setback.
With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the tenth inning, Liam Bell (Wells, Maine) led off the frame with a double and advanced to third on an error by the leftfielder. Joey Molis (Cumberland, R.I.) then reached on a throwing error with Bell having to hold at third. An intentional walk to Luke Tamulevich (Whitman, Mass.) loaded the bases. Lewis Robinson (New Britain, Conn.) was then hit by a pitch to force in Bell with the game-winning run.
Bell went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI to pace the BSU offense. He also added a sacrifice bunt. Molis finished 2-for-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles.
Matt Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) picked up the win in relief as he worked the final three innings. Josselyn allowed a run on two hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Colin Josselyn (Hanson, Mass.) got the start on the mound for the Bears as he threw five solid innings. Josselyn gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Tyler Dasilva-Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.) allowed just one hit and fanned three in two scoreless innings of relief. All told, BSU pitchers struck out 15 batters on the evening.
Bridgewater jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Bell singled to lead off the innings and Molis followed with a double to put runners on second and third with nobody out. After an out, Robinson plated Bell with a sacrifice fly to center.
Pitt.-Bradford answered in the top of the second as Joshua Zelinski (Kersey, Pa.) led off the frame with a base hit, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Kevin Rehak's (Pittsburg, Pa.) RBI single down the left field line.
The Panthers took advantage of a dropped third strike and a throwing error to push across an unearned run in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead.
The Bears answered with a run in the home half of the fifth. Tyler Rondeau (Bourne, Mass.) singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on Bell's sacrifice bunt. One out later, Tamulevich came up with a clutch two-out single to knot the score at 2-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Michael Catanoso (Marshfield, Mass.) singled and moved to second on Rondeau's sacrifice bunt. Bell then delivered an RBI single to right-center to give the Bears a 3-2 lead.
Tyler Aires (Ocean County, N.J.) homered over the leftfield fence with two outs in the top of the eighth to tie the score once again and ultimately send the game into extra innings.
Zelinski (2-5, R), Rehak (2-5, SB, RBI) and Robert Sawicki (Ellicottville, N.Y.) each finished with multiple hits for the Panthers. Sawicki singled twice in five at bats.
Reid Tarnowski (Fredonia, N.Y.) worked the first five innings for Pitt.-Bradford. Tarnowski allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Andrew Bacha (Bradford, Pa.) was tagged with the loss in relief as he gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits with a pair of walks and five strikeouts.
The Snowbird Baseball Classic continues on Thursday as the Bears take on Heidelberg University at 11:00 AM and Ohio Wesleyan University at 3:00 PM.