Baseball Tripped Up by WNE in Game One, 8-3

EAST BOSTON – Suffolk baseball earned an early edge, but could not hold Western New England off in the last four innings to fall to the Golden Bears, 8-3, in game one of a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) double feature at East Boston Memorial Park.   

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Western New England 8
RECORDS: Suffolk (6-10, 2-4 CCC) | Western New England (14-5-1, 2-2 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk started the scoring right off the bat as Garret Roberts barreled a triple to right field to bring in Jonny Gilbride, who led off with a walk. Roberts came in thanks to Harry Painter's base hit to right center to send the blue-and-gold in front by a pair. 

The Rams added to their advance two innings later. Painter got the third inning going with a base hit to center and capitalized on a double play dropped ball by the Golden Bears shortstop John Bova to get into scoring position. Marc Birbiglia placed a single in right field to plate Painter and make it a 3-0 Suffolk score.  

Western New England started to figure Roberts out in the top of the fifth as it put up three runs on three hits to level the playing field at 3-all. CJ Willis collected a pair of RBI on a triple to right center before Cody Waterbury's sac fly to center made it a tied ball game. 

Suffolk had a chance to grab the lead in the home half of the fifth with runners on second and third and one out. Birbiglia and Luke Harder both grounded out to first things locked at 3-3.  

The Golden Bears went ahead in the next half inning. A walk and small ball combined with a costly Rams error and three singles resulted in two runs for the WNE that put the Rams in a two-run hole. 

A Rams response was possible again in the bottom of the sixth as the host had the bases loaded with two outs, which brought Painter at the dish. The third baseman, who was 3-for-3 prior to this crucial at bat, worked a full count against WNE reliever Alex Slezak. Painter swung for the fences, but missed, which kept things at 5-3 WNE. 

Western New England added one run in the eighth and two more in the ninth for an 8-3 final.  

PITCHERES PICTURE

• Roberts took the loss after letting up five runs on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 6.0 innings. 
• Caleb Piwnicki allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits and one walk with four punchouts in 3.0 frames of relief. 
• Kevin Hummer logged the win with a three-run, two-earned, nine-hit, three-walk, three-strikeout effort over 5.2 innings. 
• Slezak (0.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), Robert Zawacki (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K) and Troy Donohue (1.0 IP, 1 K) all came out of WNE's pen and combined for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. 

STATISICALLY SPEAKING

• Painter went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run. 
• Birbiglia brought in one run and had two hits. 
• Sam Armbruster chipped in two hits. 
• Roberts registered one hit, one RBI and one run. 
• Gilbride scored one run. 
• Joe Ward and Iorio pitched in one hit each. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk and WNE wrap up the CCC twinbill this afternoon.