Strong Pitching, Clutch Hitting Leads Massasoit Baseball To Sweep

BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Complete game efforts from Shane Holmes and Luke Nagle along with game-winning hits from Patrick Murray and Nick Oliviera led the Massasoit Community College baseball team to a doubleheader sweep vs. Northern Essex CC on Saturday.

Massasoit (10-7) claimed game one in extras 4-3 going eight innings, before capturing game two 6-4 to run its winning streak to six straight.

Northern Essex fell to 10-8 on the season and snapped a string of five consecutive wins entering the day.

"You can't say enough about how good the pitching was today," head coach Tom Frizzell said. "But you look at Murray's hit, that was clutch in game number one and then you look at Oliviera's hit, which was clutch in game two. I'm very happy with the way we played today. The guys really came to play."

Game 1: Massasoit 4, Northern Essex 3 (8 innings)
Patrick Murray (Weymouth) clubbed a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the eighth to give Massasoit the victory, 4-3.

With one down in the last of the eighth, Murray rocketed a double, scoring Travis Ritchie (Taunton) all the way from first for the dramatic finish.

On the mound, starter Shane Holmes (East Bridgewater) was dominate in a winning effort. The southpaw upped his record to 3-1 on the season as he went all eight innings in his second complete game of the season.

Holmes surrendered just four hits and all three runs allowed were unearned. He finished with 11 strikeouts and just two walks in the win.

Joe Walsh (Taunton) went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, Luke Nagle scored twice and Matt Levasseur (Milton) went 2-for-2 with a double. David Murphy slugged a homer in the bottom of the first frame, the first round tripper by the Warriors this season.

Game 2: Massasoit 6, Northern Essex 4
Massasoit broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI single by Nick Oliviera (New Bedford) as the Warriors eventually won 6-4 to claim game two of the doubleheader.

Luke Nagle (3-0) picked up the win, tossing all seven innings. The burly right-hander from Pembroke scattered nine hits and surrender two earned runs go along with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Nagle helped his own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 including a bases clearing double in the third to highlight a four-run inning for the Warriors.

In the sixth, Oliviera blooped a RBI single and Ritchie followed with an insurance run scoring base knock to round out the scoring on the day.

Ritchie and Oliveria each finished with two hits, one run scored and one RBI.

The Warriors are back on the diamond on Sunday, hosting the Southern New Hampshire JV squad in a doubleheader. First pitch is set for Noon.