Pitching Powers Baseball To Sweep Of Bridgton Academy

Tom Protentis
Tom Protentis

BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Massasoit starters Tom Protentis (Lakeville) and Mike Nader (Hollywood, Fla.) held Bridgton Academy to just six hits over 14 combined innings as the Warriors captured a doubleheader sweep, 8-2 and 2-1.

Massasoit returns to the diamond on Wednesday with a road contest at Dean College slated for 3:30 p.m.

Game 1: Massasoit 8, Bridgton Academy 2
Behind the arm of Protentis and a six-run sixth inning, Massasoit claimed game one, 8-2.

Protentis was perfect through the first four innings, fanning seven batters over that stretch. In fact, he struck out five of six during a span from the second through the fourth. He finished with nine punch-outs for his outing.

Bridgton got on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the fifth, but Protentis (2-1) settled down to earn the complete game victory. His pitching line ended with two earned runs off two hits with a walk to go along with his season-best nine strikeouts.

With the score knotted at 2-2, the Massasoit offense gave Protentis some support. The Warrior lineup touched home six times in the sixth. Five consecutive batters roped singles for Massasoit, featuring a two-run base knock from Nick Oliveira (New Bedford).

Matt Levasseur (Milton) and Oliveira each finished with two hits on the day, while Michael Scibilio (Bourne) joined Oliveira with two RBI.

Game 2: Massasoit 2, Bridgton Academy 1
Mike Nader fired a complete game four-hitter to give Massasoit the doubleheader sweep.

All the games runs were scored in the sixth inning, as the contest was deadlocked in a classic pitchers' duel through the first five.

After Bridgton took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the sixth, Massasoit responded. With one down, Al Carey (East Bridgewater) was plunked and Matt Levasseur roped a single. Next up was Dave Murphy (Plymouth) who rocketed a two-run double, which was all the offense that Nader would need on the mound.

Nader went all seven innings, striking out two, improving to 2-1 on the bump. The righty did hit three and walk two, but worked around several jams. After taking the 2-1 lead through six, Nader retired Bridgton in order in the top of the seventh to earn the sweep.

Levasseur finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.