Box Score

SALEM, Mass.- The Vikings (17-7) banged out 13 hits and received solid performances from three different pitchers en route to a 7-5 victory over Nichols College in a non-conference game played at the New Salem State College Baseball Field.

SSC's state-of-the-art facility will be officially dedicated tomorrow (Thursday, April 10) at 2:00 pm prior to the Vikings regularly scheduled game against the University of Southern Maine. SSC President Dr. Patricia Maguire Meservey will throw the ceremonial first pitch.

Against the Nichols College Bison, the Vikings jumped out to a 3-1 first inning lead. An RBI single by sophomore Ben Garlington (Rochester), an RBI double by senior Mike Addesa (Revere) and an RBI sacrifice fly by freshman Ryan Kane (Nahant) accounted for the first three runs. After Nichols knotted the contest at 3-3, SSC scored twice in the fourth inning courtesy of senior Marc Crovo's (Melrose) two-out, two-run single to right.

The Bison (2-18) would tie the game again after plating an unearned run in the fifth and receiving a two-out solo homer to left in the sixth off the bat of sophomore Nicholas Mancini (Midlebury, CT). Both starting pitchers did not receive a decision in the contest. SSC junior righty Greg Richards (Saugus) went four innings, allowed pair of earned runs, scattered four hits, walked one and struck out one. Nichols freshman righthander Chris Nemeskal (Swampscott) logged five innings of work, gave up eight hits and allowed five earned runs while recording a strike out and a free pass.

Sophomore lefty Mike Voyer (Plymouth), who relieved Richards to start the fifth, picked up the win with four solid innings of work. Voyer gave up just four hits and one earned run to go along with a pair of strike outs while not issuing a walk. Senior righty Scott Lynch (Malden) entered the game with a runner on first and no outs in the last frame. Lynch, who is the staff's No. 1 starter after being the team's top closer the past two seasons, earned his first save of 2008 after retiring three of the four batters he faced.

The SSC offfense was paced by junior Rob Coppola's (Revere) four hits, which included three singles and a double, and two runs scored. Senior Ken Loungo (Wilmington) went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored while Garlington and Addesa added two hits each. Sophomore lead-off hitter Cale LaCasse (Killingly, CT) paced the Bison offense with three hits in five at bats. Sophomore Colby Jones (Brockport, NY), who replaced Nemeskal at the start of the sixth, was tagged with the loss, after allowing single runs in the seventh and eight frames.

Story courtesy of Salem State Sports Information