Baseball Drops Pair to #5 Southern Connecticut
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – In the 2011 home-opener, the Merrimack baseball team fell twice to No. 5 Southern Connecticut State at Warrior Diamond Saturday afternoon. The Warriors sink to 6-6 overall and 0-2 in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Owls remain unbeaten at 18-0 and 3-0 in league action.
Southern Connecticut claimed a 7-5 victory in game one and an 11-7 win to close out the day.
Southern Connecticut plated the game's first run in the second inning with an RBI double by Bryan Dorsey. The Owls posted three more runs in the third frame on a pair of hits to extend their lead to 4-0.
Merrimack responded with a three-run third inning of its own. Tim Curran (South Weymouth, Mass.) and Brett Julian (Weymouth, Mass.) both scored on a fielder's choice by Joe Mantoni (Hopedale, Mass.) to cut the deficit in half, 4-2. In the next at-bat, Joe Santos (Ashland, Mass.) drove in Mike Dooling (Milford, Conn.) for the Warriors third run of the contest.
In the fifth, Southern Connecticut added a run on a single up the middle by A.J. Rouleau to push the score to 5-3.
The home team drew to within a run in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Beau Batchelor (Peabody, Mass.) came across the plate on a fielder's choice by Julian.
Merrimack evened the game at 5-5 in the seventh frame. Dooling drove a double down the left field line and scored on a throwing error following a wild pitch.
In the top of the eighth inning, the visitors reclaimed a two-run lead to go ahead 7-5. The Owls held on for their 17th-straight victory using efficient pitching and solid defense.
Mantoni pitched 5.2 innings for the Warriors and surrendered four earned runs while fanning four batters. Chris Pinette (Norwood, Mass.) tossed 2.0 innings of relief and did not allow an earned run.
In the second game of Saturday's twin bill, it was Merrimack tallying the contest's first score. The Warriors got on the board in the fourth inning with back-to-back doubles. Dooling doubled to right center and scored on a two-bagger by Mantoni down the left field line.
Southern Connecticut drew even at 1-1 in the top of the fifth as Michael Cleary touched home. The tie didn't last long as Merrimack scored five times in the bottom half of the inning to grab a 6-1 advantage. Mark O'Flynn (Ipswich, Mass.) plated a pair of runs with a triple to right-center. Julian knocked in O'Flynn with a single for the third run of the frame.
Dooling singled to push Curran and Julian across the plate for the 6-1 lead on the No. 5 team in the country.
The Owls put up five runs in the top of the sixth to knot the score at 6-6. Southern Connecticut took the lead in the seventh and did not relinquish the advantage to seal the win and remain unbeaten. The visiting team added four runs in the eighth.
The Warriors got a run back in the eighth as an error allowed Mantoni to come home, pulling the home side to within four, 11-7.
Merrimack recorded 12 hits in game two while allowing 11 hits for the visitors.
Conner McMahon (Westfield, Mass.) started on the mound and went 5.1 innings and allowed five earned runs. The rookie registered five strikeouts on the day.
The Warriors continue Northeast-10 Conference action with a road game at Stonehill March 27 at 1 p.m.
