BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. — The Norwich baseball team continued its season-opening road swing Tuesday afternoon, falling to Massachusetts Maritime in a high-scoring rematch of Opening Day.
The Buccaneers built an early cushion, scoring two runs in the second inning and erupting for five more in the fourth to take control.
Norwich responded in the fifth with a five-run outburst to claw back into the contest.
Jack Medhurst (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) sparked the rally with a walk and a stolen base before
Domenic Swaine (Leominster, Mass.) ripped an RBI triple to get the Cadets on the board.
Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.) followed with a walk to put runners on the corners, setting up
Jon Ringer (Cupertino, Calif.) for an RBI double to left-center.
Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) brought home another run on a fielder's choice before
Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.) and
Trevor Lussier (Lyndonville, Vt.) delivered back-to-back RBI singles to trim the deficit to two.
Mass Maritime answered with four runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to extend its lead, but Norwich refused to go quietly.
Down to their final three outs, the Cadets mounted a furious rally in the ninth inning.
Dillan Garza (San Antonio, Texas) drew a leadoff walk before Ringer doubled for the second time in the game to put two runners in scoring position. Franus then launched a three-run home run to center field to quickly close the gap.
Norwich continued to apply pressure as Sabasteanski reached and advanced into scoring position before Lussier singled to put runners on the corners. Medhurst followed with an RBI single, and Swaine later loaded the bases with a base hit. Ohlsen worked a bases-loaded walk to bring the tying run to the plate, but Mass Maritime escaped with a game-ending double play to secure the win.
Ringer led the Cadets with a 2-for-5 performance that included two doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI, while Franus finished 2-for-5 with two runs, three RBIs, and a home run. Lussier and Sabasteanski each added two hits and an RBI, while Medhurst and Swaine also recorded multi-hit efforts.
Norwich opens Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Saturday, March 21, with a doubleheader against Elms in Holyoke, Mass. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
