By Stephen Ur III –
The Massachusetts Pirates played their regular season finale at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA against the San Diego Strike Force on Saturday night. Having already clinched the second seed in the Indoor Football League’s Eastern Conference, they had nothing to lose in this game.
Pirates quarterback Alejandro Bennifield also returned to the lineup after spending several weeks on injured reserve with an upper body injury he suffered two months prior.
San Diego scored the game’s first touchdown on the first play of the game with a long-ball touchdown to wide receiver Kris Lewis. The Pirates would tie the game when Bennifield scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown.
They would take their first lead of the game when the Strike Force fumbled the kickoff in the end zone and the returner was tackled before he could get out of the end zone, resulting in a rouge that gave the Pirates an 8-7 lead. The Strike Force would add a field goal and take a 10-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Massachusetts took over the game for the next three quarters. Defensive backs Aarion Maxey-Peyton and Debione Renfro recorded an interception each, Maxey-Peyton returning his interception for a touchdown, and wide receivers Jovon Durante and Isaac Zico each returned a kickoff for a touchdown, as well.
The Pirates will host the first-round playoff game against the Quad City Steamwheelers at the DCU Center in Worcester this Friday night, July 22. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. ET.
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