Strong Pitching Leads Baseball to Opening Day Sweep of Nyack Saturday Afternoon
Links Box Score (G1) | Box Score (G2)
FORT PIERCE, Fla. – Starting pitchers Tim Cashman (Rowley, Mass.) and Joe Carnevale (East Providence, R.I.) each delivered 1-0 shutout victories as the Merrimack College baseball team won its first two games of the season in a doubleheader sweep of Nyack College from the Lawnwood Complex in Fort Pierce, Fla. First-year head coach Nick Barese collected his first two career victories as he made his debut for the Warriors.
The Basics
Score (G1): Merrimack 1 | Nyack 0
Score (G2): Merrimack 1 | Nyack 0
Records: Merrimack (2-0) | Nyack (0-7)
Location: Lawnwood Complex | Fort Pierce, Fla.
What They Said
Barese: "We got two great team wins today. Our starting pitching was tremendous. Tim Cashman and Joe Carnevale battled all day for us. Offensively, we executed when we needed to."
How It Happened (G1)
Cashman, Merrimack's senior ace, set the tone for the Navy and Gold in its first contest of a seven-game swing through the Sunshine State. The senior put forth one of his best career games, as he faced one batter more than minimum against the Warriors of Nyack.
After allowing a single to lead off the second inning, Cashman retired the final 18 batters he faced to account for the complete-game shutout. He tied his season-high from last season with nine strikeouts and needed just 78 pitches, 51 of which were strikes, to get through seven innings. At one point between the fourth and fifth innings, the Rowley native retired four straight batters by way of the K.
The Warriors served as the road team in the first game, with the only offense they needed coming in the top of the fourth inning. All-American Frank Crinella (East Longmeadow, Mass.) reached base on an error by the Nyack second baseman. Sophomore Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.) followed up with a single to send Crinella to second. Junior Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.), Merrimack's cleanup hitter, reached base on another Nyack error, which allowed Crinella to score all the way from second.
In the sixth inning, Merrimack threatened to score again, but Disarcina was thrown out at home trying to score from second base on a single by designated hitter Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.). Cashman would shut the door in the bottom of the seventh, retiring hitters two, three and four in the Nyack order to prevent any comeback by Merrimack's regional foes.
How It Happened (G2)
It was more of the same for the Navy and Gold in the second game of the twin billing, with Carnevale taking the mound for the Warriors.
The junior allowed five hits to Nyack, while striking out eight batters and walking none. Nyack threated in the third inning as Carnevale faced a jam with runners on first and third with only one out. Dylan Schantz, Nyack's runner on first, trying to swipe second base, but catcher Dionys Quezada (Lawrence, Mass.) gunned him down to make it two outs and only one runner at third for Nyack. Carnevale reared back and struck on pitcher Tobin Cole to end the Nyack threat.
With the exception of the first inning, the Warriors had a base runner in every frame, but could not push across a run until the bottom of the seventh. Quezada began the final frame with a single, but was caught stealing. Sophomore Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) hit a single of his own and after Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice, sending Petrone to third, the scenario was in place for a Merrimack win. Lyne attempted a steal of second, drawing a throw from, which allowed Petrone to scamper home and steal the victory for the Warriors.
Up Next
The Warriors return to action tomorrow in Miami, Fla. where the Warriors will take on Wilmington (De.) in regional action. The neutral-site doubleheader will take place at Barry University, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.
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