Vikings Sweep MCLA, Earn Top Playoff Seed

Jose Rodriguez '24, Staff Writer | Media & Communications

SALEM, Mass. --   Pitcher's Brock Pare (Lowell, Mass.) and Cam Fisher (Burlington, Conn.) combined for two wins on Saturday with Pare allowing two earned runs and Fisher notching his third shutout of the season for a doubleheader sweep, 9-2 and 15-0 over MCLA on Saturday afternoon at The Central Campus Baseball Field. The win clinched the top-seed in the upcoming MASCAC Tournament next week for Salem State as the Vikings will host the MASCAC Championship for the first time since 2016. The Vikings improve to 21-13, 14-7 and the Trailblazers drop to 5-31, 2-19. 

Game One

• Aidan Lynch (North Andover, Mass.) singled in the third inning and advanced to third after both Connor Dolan (Rockland, Mass.) and Samuel Erskine (Killingworth, Conn.) grounded out. Mark Smith (East Haven, Conn.) singled to left field to deliver the first run of the game.
• Salem State managed to score five runs in the fourth. The highlight of the inning was Lynch clearing the bases and scoring three runs thanks to an error by the right fielder as the Vikings held a 6-0 lead.
• Salem State had the bases loaded in the fifth when Lynch stepped up to the plate and hit a ground ball towards the second baseman, who was charged with an error that scored the seventh Viking run. Shortly after, Connor Dolan hit a fielder's choice to the third baseman, and this allowed the Vikings to add another run to their tally, putting them up 8-0 on the scoreboard.
• In the sixth inning, Matthew Castillo (Ozone Park, NY) hit a single down the right field line that allowed Justin Hernandez (Bronx, N.Y.) to score, putting the Trailblazers on the board. Later in the same inning, Joshua Bissaillon (East Greenbush, NY) hit a double to left center field, bringing in another run for MCLA. However, during the bottom of the inning, the Vikings managed to score one more run thanks to James Dolan's RBI double, ultimately securing a 9-2 victory.

Game Two

• Duggan doubled to the left field in the first inning and Dolan followed up with a base hit to drive home the first run of the game. Moving on to the bottom of the second inning, Belgrove kicked off the inning with a triple. Lynch then hit a single down the left field line to earn an RBI, sparking a three-run second inning for the Vikings. The highlight of the inning was Yadbriel Gonzalez's (New Haven, Conn.) impressive double which added another run to the scoreboard. As a result, Salem State took a  commanding 4-0 lead. 
• The Vikings had a runner in scoring position in the third inning when Lynch hit a single to the left field. The pitcher Bryan Rosario (East Elmhurst, N.Y.) made an error, and Lynch was able to advance to second base. EJ Field and Devin Fuegen then stepped up and helped the Vikings score another run. Field's highlight was an RBI double to left field, which added to the lead and increased the Vikings' lead to 7-0.
• Salem State added three more in the fourth which was highlighted by a Jake Boucher (Wallingford, Mass.) two-run triple to right field.
• The score remained 10-0 until the sixth inning. It was then that the Vikings managed to add five runs. Dylan Adamson (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Gonzalez, who both had two RBI doubles apiece, sealed the deal for a 15-0 win.    

NOTEWORTHY

• Pare started off by retiring 12 out of the first 13 batters. He continued his good form throughout the game and earned a well-deserved victory. Pare pitched for 6.1 innings and allowed only five hits, conceding just two runs. Nick Morse (Holyoke, Mass.) walked away with the loss. Morse pitched for 4.1 innings, giving up six hits and seven runs. 
• James Dolan was the only Vikings who recorded a multi-hit game in game one. 
• Prior to game two, the Vikings honored seniors EJ Field, James Dolan, Mark Smith, Greg Gentle, Brock Pare, Kyle Banche and Samuel Erskine for their dedication and commitment to the program.
• Pare recorded his first career hit which was an RBI base hit in the sixth inning.
• Fisher recorded the win, pitching five shutout innings while giving up four hits and improved to 6-0 on the season. Rosario recorded the loss, pitching 3.1 innings; allowing nine hits and seven earned runs.
• Five different Vikings recorded a multi-hit game.