Baseball Splits With Southern Connecticut on the Road
NEW HAVEN, CT – Behind stellar pitching from seniors
Ryan O'Rourke (Worcester, MA) and
Dylan Ellis (Gloucester, MA), the Merrimack
College baseball team came away with a Conference split at Southern
Connecticut Saturday afternoon.
“Ryan and Dylan really pitched gems,” said head
coach Joe Sarno. “If we had some more
run support for Dylan in game two we would have won. He had a
low pitch count and didn't deserve to lose that game.”
Game one ended in favor of the Warriors at the end of 10
innings, 3-1, after sophomores Tim Curran (South Weymouth,
MA) and Ray Walker (Lowell, MA) each
drove in a run as part of four hits for Merrimack.
"[Ray] Walker played a great game behind the dish and at the
plate," said Sarno. "His play certainly sparked us to the
win."
O'Rourke pitched nine innings in game one while allowing
just five hits and striking out nine. He also walked one
batter to improve to 2-0 on the year. Senior Ryan
McNeill (Lynnfield, MA) retired three straight batters to
earn his first save of the season in one inning.
In the sixth inning, Walker singled before Ed Medieros
(Seekonk, MA) laid down a bunt to advance him to
second. Matt Cataldo (Tyngsborough, MA)
would hit a single to left to bring Walker in for the game-tying
run.
In game two, the Warriors led for eight innings before the Owls
scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Ellis had allowed
just three hits in the first eight innings while striking out six
on the afternoon.
Senior Matt Hogan (Andover, MA) scored the
Warriors only run in the nightcap, driving home classmate
Brendan Pyburn (Peabody, MA) in the bottom of the
first. Sophomore PJ Farnham (Andover, MA)
and junior Mike Dooling (Milford, CT) each knocked
a pair of hits on the afternoon.
With the split, Merrimack is now 5-3 on the year and 3-1 in
Northeast-10 Conference play.
The Warriors return home to face Stonehill College on Sunday
afternoon (1:00pm) in a Conference matchup with the Skyhawks.
