WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Ryan Towle was in top form as the Fitchburg State University baseball team swept the Continentals of Hamilton College, 5-2 and 9-0, in non-conference action Thursday afternoon on day four of the Falcons’ annual spring trip to Florida.
Towle struck out 15 in a dazzling one-hitter in the late game of the day’s doubleheader.
Fitchburg State 5
Hamilton 2
Fitchburg State (5-2) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Andrew Currie drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Andrew Curran before senior Sean Maki laced a bases-clearing double to plate Currie, Matthew Pingitore and Brandon Lefebvre.
Hamilton cut into the deficit in the top of the sixth when Jordan Northrup singled in James Nish, while Jacob Han was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in Graham McOsker, resulting in the 5-2 final.
In the opener, Maki led the way for the Falcons, going 2 for 3 with two doubles, one run scored and three RBIs, while Brennan Cuddahy added one hit and an RBI.
On the mound, junior Tommy Parsons picked up his second win on the season, allowing just one hit with nine strikeouts in five innings of work for the Falcons, while Adam Somers collected his second save after pitching 1 1-3 innings of perfect relief, with three strikeouts.
Fitchburg State 9
Hamilton 0
In the nightcap, Fitchburg State took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Zachary Gull doubled home Noah Milliard and Maki, before the Falcons tacked on three more runs to make it 5-0 in the top of the fourth, with Currie and Curran driving in runs with a single and a bases-loaded walk.
The Falcons secured the sweep in the top of the fifth when Pingitore doubled down the left-field line to score Joshua Macomber, while Currie followed with a two-run triple to center, plating Pingitore and Lefebvre, resulting in the 9-0 final.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Fitchburg State was led by Currie, who finished 3 for 5 with a triple, one run scored and three RBIs, while Lefebvre added three hits and two runs scored.
On the bump, Towle earned his third victory of the 2018 campaign, giving up just one hit with a season-best 15 strikeouts in the complete game-effort for the Falcons.
Fitchburg State will return to action on Friday as it takes on the Scarlet Hawks of Illinois Tech for a doubleheader on the final day of the annual spring trip to Florida, starting at 1 p.m.
College softball
CLERMONT, Fla. — The Fitchburg State University softball team spilt a doubleheader Thursday afternoon on day four of its annual spring trip to Florida, as the Falcons defeated the Owls of Keene State 6-1 to earn the program’s first ever win over the Owls before dropping a 5-1 decision to the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark in the nightcap.
Fitchburg State 6
Keene State 1
Fitchburg State (2-6) broke open a 0-0 stalemate in the top of the fifth as Hayley McCarthy and Michelle LeBlanc scored on a pair of fielding miscues, before Melissa DiPhilippo drove in Keeliey Zompetti and Maddie Medina for the 5-0 advantage.
The Falcons extended their lead to 6-0 in the following frame when McKenzie Lambert walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by LeBlanc.
Keene State broke up the shutout in the bottom of the seventh as Shae Crosby was hit by a pitch and eventually came around to score when Molly St. Germain dropped down a sacrifice bunt, resulting in the 6-1 final.
In game one, Fitchburg State was led by DiPhilippo, who hit 3 for 4 with an RBI, while LeBlanc added one hit, an RBI and one run scored.
In the circle, freshman Taylor Colvin spun a gem for the Falcons, giving up just one earned run on one hit with four strikeouts in the complete-game effort to earn her first collegiate victory.
Rutgers-Newark 5
Fitchburg State 1
In game two, Rutgers-Newark took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Julie Contravo blasted a home run to bring in Morgan Schweitzer. The Scarlet Raiders upped the lead to 5-0 in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Kelly Yusko.
Fitchburg State broke its scoring silence in the bottom of the seventh when Cammi Sperling tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Lambert, resulting in the 5-1 final.
Fitchburg State’s game-two offense was paced by Sperling, who hit 2 for 3 with a triple and a run scored, while Lambert added an RBI.
In the circle, Emma Campbell took the loss in game two for Fitchburg State, allowing three runs — but just one earned — on five hits.
Fitchburg State returns to action on Friday as it takes on the Blue Jays of Elmhurst College and the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs on the final day of the annual spring trip to Florida, starting at 11:30 a.m.
