Morency, Mantoni Lead Baseball to 1-0 Victory at Saint A's
Box Score
MANCHESTER , N.H. – Junior Alek Morency (Nashua, N.H.) tossed seven strong innings and senior Joe Mantoni (Northbridge, Mass.) preserved the lead with some late heroics in a precarious situation, helping the Merrimack baseball team snap a seven-game slide, as the Warriors topped Saint Anselm, 1-0, in a key Northeast-10 Conference Divisional showdown on Saturday afternoon at Sullivan Park.
Picking up its first win since April 6, Merrimack (19-13, 5-5 NE-10 Division) will look to take the weekend series against the Hawks (15-22-1) tomorrow afternoon, as the two sides will return to the diamond for a Sunday (April 21) doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
"Our pitching was outstanding today," head coach Jim Martin noted afterward. "Both Alek and Joe were huge in several key spots. Alek worked out of a couple jams and Joe came in with runners at second and third and didn't flinch. We executed early on offense and those two made it hold up. We'll have to bring the same focus to tomorrow's doubleheader."
On Saturday, another strong effort from Morency fueled the Navy and Gold to a key division victory. Despite the offense providing a lone run of support in the top of the first, the right-hander did not flinch despite finding himself in a pair of jams. The Nashua, N.H., native struck out eight while walking just three over the course of seven five-hit innings, improving to 4-3 on the year.
Mantoni, meanwhile, entered the game with runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Staring down a potent Saint A's lineup, the senior calmly struck out the first batter he faced and induced a grounder to first to end the threat. The righty picked up his fifth save in the process, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Saint A's starter David Kent took the loss despite eight innings of one-run, four-strikeout ball. The Warriors did post 10 hits against the starter, finishing with a 10-5 advantage on the day, while both sides were errorless on defense.
The game's only run came in the top of the first, as senior Casey Cotter (North Hampton, N.H.), batting in the leadoff spot after spending most of the year in the No. 3 hole, singled to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice. Then, senior Mark O'Flynn (Ipswich, Mass.) deposited a base knock into right field, allowing Cotter to score the game's only run in the process.
In total, eight of the nine Merrimack starters finished with at least a hit, including two-hit performances from rookie Mike Forgione (North Branford, Conn.) – who earned the start in right field and batted in the No. 2 spot – as well as Mantoni. Merrimack stranded eight base runners over the course of the game compared to 10 for the Hawks.
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