Salem, Mass. --  Salem State claimed its third Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Postseason Baseball Championship in four years with a 16-8 win over Mass Maritime on Sunday afternoon at the Central Campus Baseball Field. Richard Fecteau (Newbury, MA) proved to be the difference maker, hitting two home runs in the title clinching game. Fecteau batted .800 (12-15) with three home runs, two doubles, eight runs and a 1.533 slugging percentage over the three-day tournament to earn MVP honors. Mass Maritime forced a second game on Sunday, after coming-from-behind to win game one of the double elimination tournament with a 6-5, extra-inning victory. Salem State is headed to their sixth NCAA Tournament, which will begin on May 18th at a predetermined NCAA regional site.    
 
Championship Game
Scoreless in the first, the Vikings' added two runs in the top of the second when Mac Daniel Singleton(Everett, Mass.) hit a hard grounder that ricocheted off the glove of Buccaneers first baseman Greg Downs (Marshfield, Mass.) and was then thrown  by their second basemen  into the right field corner. The error allowed Jose Cedano (Lawrence, Mass.) and Andrew Deloury (Peabody, MA) to cross the plate. Mass Maritime answered in the next half inning when Riley Fusaro (Nantucket, MA)  hit a triple that brought in Downs who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning. With the next at bat, Keane scored Fusaro with a single up the middle to even the score at 2-2. Keane was picked off to end the inning.Cato LaCroix (Holliston, Mass.) came on in relief for starter Will Twiss (Middleton, Mass.)  late in the third inning.

In the third, Salem State (23-18-1) tacked on three runs including another Fecteau home run that put the Vikings ahead 3-2. Later in the inning, Toomey and Deloury each hit an RBI-single that enhanced their lead to 5-2. Mass Maritime(23-15) retaliated in the bottom half of the inning as they took a 6-5 edge with the help of Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.), who drove a two-run homerun over the right field wall. Downs also contributed to the Buccaneers brief lead with an RBI-single.

Toomey had the hot bat for Salem State in game two as he knotted the game back up at 6-6 with a sacrifice fly that scored Dan Connors (Danvers, Mass.). Like Toomey, the
Vikings' bats could not be cooled off as they scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning that put them on top 12-6. Toomey added a two-run home run and Cedano hit an RBI-triple while White brought in two runs with a single. Fecteau increased Salem State's lead to 14-6 with his third home run of the day that put the Vikings ahead 14-6. The Vikings added two more runs late in the game asMike Davis (Peabody, Mass.) nearly went yard with a shot off the top of the centerfield fence. LaCroix shutdown the Buccaneers batting order, as he didn't allow a a run until the ninth inning when the Buccaneers scored twice with the game already in hand.

Fecteau, went 7-for-8 in the championship series with three home runs and four RBI's. Sullo led the offense for Mass Maritime, going 2-for-4 with two RBI's.

In 6.1 innings pitched, LaCroix (3-1) earned the victory, giving up two runs on seven hits while fanning five batters. Rozak (3-6) drew the loss as he was responsible for giving up six of the 16 runs the Vikings scored in 3.1 innings of work.
 
Game One
Mass Maritime staved off elimination, defeating Salem State in dramatic fashion with a 6-5 win in the 10th inning to force a second game. The Buccaneers forced extra-innings after working out of a bases loaded jam with no outs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Vikings reached the scoreboard in the bottom of the second when Teghan Malionek (Salem, Mass.) brought in Jose Cedano (Lawrence, Mass.) with an impressive bunt down the third base line. With a wild pitch, Malionek advanced to second, which allowed him to score when Mac Daniel Singleton (Everett, MA) drove a triple to the right-center field gap for a 2-0 Vikings' lead. A slight rain delay occurred after Salem State starter Mike Richardson (Belmont, Mass.) retired the Buccaneers in the top of the third.

As play resumed, Richardson continued to cruise through the Massachusetts Maritime lineup as he retired the side in the fourth and fifth inning. Buccaneers' starter Kevin Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass.) ran into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth when he surrendered three hits in a row, including aRichard Fecteau (Newbury, Mass.) solo-homerun to right field. Kwedor gave up a single to Dan Connors (Danvers, Mass.) and a double to Joe White (Bellingham, Mass.) before being replaced by Alex Rozak (Plymouth, Mass.). Cedano drove in the Vikings fourth run when he hit a sacrifice grounder to the right side of the infield that brought in Connors.

The Buccaneers' bats came to life in the top of the seventh inning when William Keane (Braintree, MA) hit a two-RBI double to the left field gap that scored Greg Downs (Marshfield, MA) and Riley Fusaro (Nantucket, MA) to cut the deficit to 4-2. After walking Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) the Vikings replaced Richardson on the mound with Pete Gonski (East Lyme, Conn.). However, Gonski loaded the bases by hitting Everett Walsh (Marston Mills, Mass.) with a pitch. Gonski battled through it to get Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.) to ground into a fielder's choice when first basemenAlex Toomey (Beverly, Mass.) gunned out Keane at the plate. Gonski escaped the inning by striking out Jake Petruzzelli (Abington, Mass.) to hold the 4-2 edge.

In the eighth, Gonski ran into trouble as he loaded the bases by giving up two singles and a walk. Keane pulled through again for the Buccaneers as he hit a single that drove in two runs to knot the game at 4-4. Gonski was pulled and replaced by Steve Leavitt (Peabody, MA). However, the Massachusetts Maritime bats remained hot as Kennedy singled to reload the bases. With the next at-bat, Walsh drove a deep fly ball to centerfield that was far enough for Fusaro to tag up from third for a 5-4 lead. Matt Abrain (Northbridge, Mass.) came on in relief for Leavitt after Leavitt only faced two batters. Abrain proceeded to walk Sullo to load the bases again for the Buccaneers. Andrew Deloury(Peabody, MA) prevented the Bucs from taking a larger lead when he laid it all out, making an incredible diving catch to end the inning.

Salem State retaliated in the bottom of the eighth when Toomey singled to right field which, allowed Deloury to drive him in with the tying run with a double to left field. Toomey scored due to a funny bounce the ball took off the left field wall, which ricocheted back into the middle of the field.

Deloury continued to display his athleticism in centerfield as he stole a routine double from Downs as he made another outstanding diving grab by the warning track to end the ninth for the Buccaneers. Abrain retired the side with the help of his outfield.

Salem State had an abundance of opportunities to walk-off in the bottom of the ninth as they had the bases loaded for the majority of the inning after Davis and Fecteau singled and White reached on an intentional walk. With bases loaded and no outs, Kyle Kennedy (Woodbury, Conn.) was able to force two consecutive fielder's choices and a ground ut to preserve the tie and take the game into extra innings.

In the tenth, Abrain surrendered a single to Fusaro which led the Vikings to bring in Will Twiss(Middleton, Mass.) to create a righty-righty matchup against the hot bat of William Keane (Braintree, Mass.). Keane laid down a sac-bunt that was popped up in between Twiss and Malionek that was almost caught by the diving Twiss, but it was dropped, putting men on first and second for the Buccaneers. Connor Kennedy also attempted a sac-bunt that was corralled by Twiss who threw out the lead-runner at third. With the next at bat, Walsh poked the ball down the right field line that drove in Fusaro for a 6-5 lead. However, Davis threw out Keane who tried to advance to third on the play. After intentionally walking Sullo, Twiss struck out Petruzzelli to end the inning. Kennedy retired the side in the bottom of the tenth to secure the 6-5 win, forcing a second game.
In just one inning of work, Twiss (0-6) drew the loss as he allowed the Buccaneers sixth run. Richardson went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. Gonski went one inning, surrendering three runs on three hits. Kyle Kennedy (5-1) earned the victory as he went three innings, allowing one run on four hits. Kwedor went 4.1 innings, giving up four runs on eight hits.

Fecteau had a day at the plate as he went 5-for-5 including a solo-homerun in the bottom of the fifth. Keane led the charge for the Mass Maritime offense as he drove in four runs on two hits.