WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Nate Barnes (Westfield, Mass.) tossed a complete game in game two, and Westfield State got a grand slam home run from Anthony Crowley as the Owls swept Fitchburg State by scores of 3-2, and 15-2 in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader at Hagan Field on Wednesday afternoon.

Westfield moves to 15-13-1 overall on the season and 5-3 in the conference to vault themselves into a second-place tie in the league standings. Fitchburg drops to 9-13-2 and 3-4-1 in the league.

Barnes, a graduate student, pulled double duty on the day playing first base in game 1, where he was hit by a pitch, singled and scored the Owls first run to tie the game 1-1 in the fourth, and drove in the game winner with a sacrifice fly.

Fitchburg got on the board first with a single run in the fourth inning, as Brennan Cuddahy (Leominster, Mass.) doubled to left center, advanced to third on Joshua Macomber's (Bristol-Plymouth/Berkely, Mass.) single, and scored on a Camden Santos sacrifice fly.

Westfield tied the game in the bottom half of the frame, as Barnes reached on a bloop hit to left, and later scored on John Lippincott's (Northwestern Reg./Barkhamsted, Conn.) base hit through the left side.

The Owls posted a pair of runs in the sixth, getting a one-out double from catcher Aaron Clancy (Catholic Memorial/Quincy, Mass.) to start the rally. Steven Saucier ran for Clancy, and scored when Brett Dooley followed with a base hit. Kyle Murphy (Westfield, Mass.) singled Dooley to third, and Barnes plated him with what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly.

Westfield State ace John Gegetskas (Sport & Med Sciences/Windsor, Conn.) came on to earn his first save, throwing a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Scott Strachan (3-2) (Braintree, Mass.) picked up the win in relief of starter Jamie Butler (Sacred Heart/Waterbury, Conn.), who allowed just one run through five innings of work. Butler consistently worked out of trouble, allowing six hits and four walks, but struck out five, including three times striking out the final batter of the inning with runners on base.

Lippincott and Clancy each had a pair of hits to pace the Owls, while Andrew Currie (North Quincy/Quincy, Mass.) recorded three hits in four trips for the Falcons.

Fitchburg starter Ryan Towle (3-2), a Westfield native who entered the game with a 1.36 ERA, went the route but picked up the loss, allowing eight hits and three earned runs while fanning seven.

In the nightcap, Barnes (3-0) scattered nine hits and allowed just two earned runs in earning the complete game win.

The Owls struck for seven runs in the second inning, fueled by three walks and a hit batsman. Alex Lafayette (Ludlow, Mass.) and Jared Ferrari (Waltham, Mass.) provided RBI doubles and Crowley added a rbi single in the big inning.

Lafayette unleashed a three-run blast to left center in the third inning, and Crowley capped the scoring with a rocket of a grand slam to left in the fifth inning. Crowley finished with five RBI on the day and Lafayette had four RBI and three runs scored. Lippincott added two more hits.

Fitchburg scored a single run in the third on a Currie double into the left field corner, and another single run in the sixth on a base hit from Macomber. Macomber finished with three hits and Currie two. Falcons starter Tommy Parsons (1-4) (Bishop Fenwick/Peabody, Mass.) took the loss, lasting just an inning and 1/3 and allowing five earned runs.

Westfield, which now sits two games back of Worcester State in the MASCAC standings, is slated to play at Eastern Connecticut in a non-conference game on Thursday afternoon. Fitchburg is scheduled to play at Wentworth Institute on Thursday as well.