SALEM, Mass.—Seven unanswered runs between the seventh and eighth innings sent Salem State to a 10-4 win over local rival Gordon in non-conference baseball action on Tuesday. Both teams concluded their regular season with the Commonwealth Coast Conference and MASCAC tournaments approaching later in the week.
The Fighting Scots fell to 19-17 on the year, missing a chance of breaking the program record for victories in a season. The Vikings beat Gordon for the eighth consecutive time and improved to 20-17-1 in 2016. Salem State earned the No. 1 seed in the MASCAC tournament, which begins on Thursday.
It was all Vikings in the early going, as the back half of the lineup put a chain of hits together after the top of the order was quiet in the first inning. After a routine groundout led things off, Dan Connors (Danvers, Mass.) hit a towering ground-rule double over the head of Gordon's centerfielder. Alex Toomey (Beverly, Mass.) ran out a single up the middle to push Connors to third before Andrew Deloury (Andover, Mass.) broke the scoreless draw with a single under the glove at third base.
Teghan Malionek (Salem, Mass.) kept the hit parade going with a single safely in front of the feet of the left fielder to make it a 2-0 game. Malionek later got under the tag on a steal attempt at second base, forcing a drop, and allowing Deloury to take home with ease for a three-run lead.
Daniel Quint (Wells, Maine) took a run back for Gordon in the third inning after leading off with a single to the gap in shallow right. The speedy rookie made it to second on a groundout before scoring on an
Dean Demers (Oxnard, Calif.) groundball that had eyes and got into right.
Both offenses became mostly stagnant during the middle innings before Gordon came alive in the top of the seventh.
Alec Willey (San Diego, Calif.) singled to center to begin the frame and made it to second with
Travis Benoit (Worcester, Mass.) on an error by the Viking third baseman.
Jeremy Jackson (Waco, Texas) singled through the hole on the left side to load the bases, setting up back-to-back scoring plays on fielder's choices to tie the game at three. Another quirky steal play, this time from
Dean Demers (Sandy Hook, Conn.), which gave Quint a chance to give Gordon its first lead of the day at 4-3.
Gordon's advantage was short-lived. A costly error committed by the Scots put the lead runner on base and Salem State took advantage. The Vikings put four runs on the board on three hits, including RBI singles by Mac Daniel Singleton (Everett, Mass.), Richard Fecteau (Newbury, Mass.) and Jose Cedano (Lawrence, Mass.). Three of the four runs were unearned as a result of the miscue.
The Fighting Scots were held in check in the eighth and Salem State put a cap on the game in the bottom half with three more runs. The first two Vikings reached by a walk before Malionek brought both home to score on a double that skipped off the chalk down the right-field line. Malionek later scored on a groundout to make the final 10-4.
The Vikings helped out reliever Matt Abrain (Northbridge, Mass.) after the senior was on the hook for the loss. Salem State's offense helped bring his ledger up to .500 at 2-2 with the four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Gordon's
Connor Rogotzke (Altamont, N.Y.) fell to 3-3 this year, giving up four runs in two-thirds of an innings. Only one of the four was earned.
Alex Smith (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Tarr paced Gordon's offense with two hits apiece. The Scots were held to no extra-base hits for just the second time in non-conference play this year.
Salem State piled up 12 hits with four different guys notching at least two knocks. Malionek and Singleton drove in half of Salem's runs at the end of the order.
The Vikings await the winner of Bridgewater State and Westfield State on Friday at 3 p.m. in the Witch City. Gordon stays on the North Shore with a CCC first-round game at Endicott on Thursday at 4 p.m.
