Baseball Relinquishes Lead in Eighth, Falls at Assumption
WORCESTER, Mass. – A six-run rally in the eighth inning allowed Assumption to claim a 7-5 non-league win over the Merrimack baseball team Tuesday afternoon at Rochleau Field. The Warriors drop to 8-16 overall while the Greyhounds rise to 7-19 on the year.
Four players turned in multiple-hit performances as Merrimack posted 14 base hits in the game. Mark O'Flynn (Ipswich, Mass.), CJ Flannery and PJ Farnham (North Andover, Mass.) all raked three hits on the afternoon while Paul Manganiello (Levittown, N.Y.) registered two base knocks.
O'Flynn led off the contest with a single to center field. Joe Mantoni (Hopedale, Mass.) singled to move O'Flynn to second base. Both players advanced one base on a wild pitch. Mike Dooling (Milford, Conn.) plated O'Flynn with a groundout for the Warriors' first run of the game.
Flannery extended Merrimack's lead to 2-0 with an RBI single to drive in Mantoni. Farnham followed with a double to left field to push Flannery to third base. Manganiello singled to score Flannery as the Warriors took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
Merrimack tacked on two more runs in the second frame to own a 5-0 lead after one and a half innings of play. After O'Flynn and Eddie Newton (North Billerica, Mass.) reach on singles and stole second and third, Dooling laced a two-RBI single into left field to score both players.
Assumption got on the board in the fourth frame to slice into the Warriors' lead. Wally Derosier doubled to lead off the inning and stole third. Tim Quinn drove in Derosier with an infield single to shrink the home team's deficit to four runs.
The Greyhounds manufactured six runs on six hits in the bottom of the eighth inning to grab a 7-5 lead heading into the ninth.
Newton reached base to start the top of the ninth and advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. Flannery drew a two-out walk to put the tying run at first. The Warriors were unable to spark a late rally as Assumption held on for the win.
Alek Morency (Nashua, N.H.) logged six innings on the mound in his first collegiate start. The rookie fanned six batters while allowing one run on two hits.
Merrimack looks to avenge a pair of losses to Saint Anselm on April 10 as the Warriors host the Hawks in a Northeast-10 contest April 13.
