Defensive Miscues Hurt Baseball in 7-4 Loss vs. Bentley
Links: Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball team and the Bentley University Falcons finally got their three-game season series underway on Saturday afternoon, in a game that was originally scheduled to be played on March 31 at the Warrior Baseball Diamond. The Falcons came back from a 3-0 deficit to win 7-4, rallying for the game-winning runs in the ninth inning.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4 | Bentley 7
Records: Merrimack (11-10, 3-5 NE Div.) | Bentley (4-12, 1-3 NE Div.)
Location: DeFelice Field | Waltham, Mass.
How It Happened
With the game originally scheduled to be in North Andover, the Warriors served as the home team even though the game was on Bentley's campus. Freshman PJ Browne (Rutland, Mass.) got the ball for the Warriors, making his fifth start of the 2015 campaign. Browne entered the Northeast Division showdown with a 4-0 record and a 1.93 earned run average.
The Merrimack offense got things going immediately in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.), batting third in the order for the first time this year, collected a two-out base knock to extend the inning. Cleanup hitter Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.) drove him home with a run-scoring hit to make it a 1-0 game.
Late in the game, leadoff hitter Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) drew a one-out walk in the fifth, and junior Frank Crinella (East Longmeadow, Mass.) followed that up by ripping a double into the left-center field gap allowing Lyne to score from first. Designated hitter Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.) singled later in the inning to score Crinella, making it 3-0 in favor of Merrimack.
The Bentley offense finally got to Browne in the top of the sixth, lacing a home run to make it a one-run game. With two outs and runners at the corners, the Falcons tied the game in the top of the seventh on a RBI single. Browne departed after seven innings, as reliever Matt Dinello (Southington, Conn.) came into pitch a scoreless eighth.
The Merrimack defense ran into trouble in the top of the ninth. The Warriors committed three errors in the frame, contributing to a bases loaded situation with one out against Dinello. The sophomore allowed the next Falcons hitter to lace a two-run single, giving Bentley its first lead of the game at 5-3. Bentley tacked on two more runs to take a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth, DiSarcina smoked his first career home run to make it a 7-4 game. O'Neill followed that up with a double, but the Warriors rally would end there as Bentley took the first of three games this year against Merrimack. The teams will meet again on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at the Warrior Baseball Diamond.
Inside The Numbers
- DiSarcina continued his red-hot streak at the dish. He finished 3-for-4, scoring two runs and notching one RBI. He increased his hitting streak to six games and now has five multi-hit games on the year
- Browne saw his winning streak stop at four games, as he picked up the first no-decision of his career. He tossed seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He struck out four Falcons, but also walked four batters
- Dinello took the loss, but only one of the four runs that scored in the ninth inning were earned. Senior southpaw Matt Solar (Sterling, Mass.) came in and got the final two outs of the frame
- Balance in the order: No. 1-7 in the lineup for the Warriors recorded at least one hit. Brown and O'Neill each joined DiSarcina with at least two base knocks on the afternoon
Up Next
The Warriors are set to play in their home opener tomorrow afternoon as Merrimack welcomes Saint Michael's to the Warrior Baseball Diamond for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. The Navy and Gold defeated the Purple Knights, 5-2, earlier in the season.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
