FITCHBURG, MASS –  Fitchburg State and rival Worcester State split a pair of MASCAC games Tuesday afternoon as the Lancers took the first game, 10-8 and the Falcons rebounded to win game two 8-4.

The Lancers (10-11, 4-8 MASCAC) posted four runs in the third inning of game one behind a Ryan Holley (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsbury) two-run single and a pair of run-producing doubles by Ryan Laprade (Leominster, MA/Leominster) and Chris Gusha (Rutland, MA/Rutland).

The Lancers extended the lead to 6-1 in the fifth and tacked on three more in the top of the sixth capped by a two run single by Tom Huddleston (Braintree, MA/Braintree) before the Falcons (13-14, 7-5 MASCAC) battled back in the bottom of the inning.

Kris Breen (Griswold, CT/UConn-Avery Point) highlighted a seven-run sixth with a grad slam to center field. Curt Heher (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) added a two-run double in the frame.

Pat Good (Hull, MA/Hull) picked up the victory for the visitors, going 5.1 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits, while Nick Botelho (Halifax, MA/Halifax) was charged with the loss after tossing 4.1 innings of 10-hit, six-run baseball.

The second game was a see-saw affair in which the Lancers jumped out to a 3-0 cushion in the first frame on a pair of bases-loaded walks and a ground out twin killing. FSC cut the lead to 3-2 in the fourth when Heher delivered an RBI single and Troy DiMauro (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) hit a sacrifice flyball to center.

Fitchburg took its first lead of the afternoon on a Breen RBI double and Andrew Kiewlicz (Walpole, MA) RBI single that gave the hosts a 4-3 advantage in the fifth. The Lancers knotted the game in the sixth when Laprade doubled to left centerfield and came around to score on a pair of wild pitches.

The Falcons finally put the game out with four runs in the sixth sparked by a DiMauro leadoff triple. Matt Slattery (Gardner, MA/Gardner) drove in DiMauro with a single and later scored on a wild pitch. Breen was then hit by a pitch, Shawn Kinney (Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union) doubled, Neil Gendron (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick) walked to load the bases and Kiewlicz delivered two runs with a single to right field.