Falcons threaten late, fall short to Lakeland in Florida

Auburndale, FL – The Fitchburg State University Baseball team dropped a 6-1 decision to the Muskies of Lakeland University this afternoon during 2026 RussMatt Invitational action at the Lake Myrtle Complex.

The Basics

Score: Fitchburg State 1, Lakeland 6

Records: Fitchburg State (2-7) | Lakeland (5-6)

How It Happened

Lakeland opened the scoring in the top of the third inning as Dylan Costello delivered an RBI single to score Jordan Domingue for the early 1-0 lead. The Muskies added to their advantage in the fourth inning when Sam Goodrum reached on an error that allowed Sawyer Laffoon to cross the plate before Domingue followed with an RBI double to extend the Lakeland lead to 3-0.

Despite the early deficit, the Falcons continued to battle offensively. Junior Jason Kelly (East Bridgewater, MA) helped spark the Fitchburg State lineup with a pair of hits, while senior Joseph Abt (Newbury, MA), freshman Erick Dawson (Mattapoisett, MA), junior Joshua Googins (Braintree, MA) and junior Benjamin Forbes (Ashburnham, MA) each added base hits for the Green and Gold. Lakeland pulled away in the top of the seventh inning, pushing across three runs to extend the margin to 6-0. Costello delivered his second RBI of the contest with a run-scoring single before Chris Finn reached on an error that allowed two additional runs to score.

Fitchburg State responded in the bottom half of the inning when Googins delivered an RBI single that plated junior Tyler Fonck (Milford, CT) to put the Falcons on the board and trim the deficit to 6-1. The Falcons threatened at several points throughout the contest, collecting six hits and placing runners on base in multiple innings, but Lakeland pitching was able to limit the damage and hold Fitchburg State to the single run as the Muskies secured the 6-1 final.

• By The Numbers
• Kelly paced the Falcons offense, going 2-for-4 at the plate
• Abt finished 1-for-3, while Dawson, Googins and Forbes each added a hit for the Green and Gold
• Googins recorded the lone RBI of the contest for Fitchburg State
• Fonck scored the Falcons' only run of the afternoon
• Senior William Ernst (Worcester, MA) took the loss on the mound, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks over 6.2 innings of work
• Freshman Ryan DiSano (Suwanee, GA) provided solid relief, tossing 2.1 innings while striking out three batters

Up Next

The Falcons return to action tomorrow as they continue play at the 2026 RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Florida in a double-header against Johnson and Wales with first pitches set for 9:45 AM and 12 PM.

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