Baseball Hangs with #1/3 Franklin Pierce Before Dropping Both Games of DH Sunday
Links: Box Score (G1) | Box Score (G2)
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – The Merrimack College baseball team battled the No. 1/3 Franklin Pierce University Ravens tough on Sunday afternoon from the Warrior Baseball Diamond, but lost both games of a doubleheader. The Warriors dropped the first contest, 4-3, with the game-winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth. The second game saw the Ravens use a seven-run sixth inning to comeback and complete the series sweep.
The Basics
Score (G1): Merrimack 3 | #1/3 Franklin Pierce 4
Score (G2): Merrimack 8 | #1/3 Franklin Pierce 10
Records: Merrimack (13-14, 5-9 NE Div.) | #1/3 Franklin Pierce (34-2, 12-1 NE Div.)
Location: Warrior Baseball Diamond | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened (G1)
Merrimack gave senior ace Joe Carnevale (East Providence, R.I.) the ball to begin the afternoon, as he looked for his fifth victory of the season. Each team plated runs in the first inning as the Ravens scored on a sacrifice fly and the Warriors scored on an RBI groundout from Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.).
In the top of the fourth, the Ravens pushed three runs across the board. Matt Walsh and Chris LaVorgna hit run-scoring singles to make it 3-1. With LaVorgna on first and Matt O'Herron on third, Franklin Pierce executed a first-and-third plate with LaVorgna intentionally getting caught in a pickle, which allowed O'Herron to scamper home.
Carnevale did not allow a run over the final five innings, allowing his offense to work its way back into the game. The Warriors took advantage of a Ravens' throwing error in the fifth inning, which allowed Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) to score from second base. In the next inning, the Navy and Gold scored in a more conventional fashion, as Pat Florence (Lowell, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly that plated Bobby Losanno (Peabody, Mass.)
The Warriors senior started buckled down to throw all nine frames, allowing four runs on seven hits. Carnevale also struck on seven batters while throwing 116 pitches on the afternoon.
The Navy and Gold put up a valiant rally in the bottom of the ninth. Dionys Quezada (Lawrence, Mass.) pinch hit for Matt Dinello (Southington, Conn.) to begin the frame, and was hit on the first pitch he saw. Senior John Pastyrnak (Bristol, Conn.) pinch ran, and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Lyne. Junior Frank Crinella (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was intentionally walked to put two runners on, and DiSarcina followed with a sharp single to left field to load the bases. Travis Landry, the Ravens reliever, buckled down to strikeout Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.) and Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.) to end the game.
How It Happened (G2)
Sophomore right hander Perry Kulaga (Lincroft, N.J.) took the hill in the series finale, looking for his first victory of the season.
The Ravens offense got to Kulaga for two runs in the top of the second, on a run-scoring bunt single followed by a sharp grounder up the middle by John Friday for another RBI.
In the third and fourth innings, the Warriors were able to string some hits together and took advantage of Franklin Pierce miscues to take their first lead of the series. The third inning saw O'Neill reach base on Crinella advance to third on an error in right field. Brown stepped into the box and skied a fly ball into right field that landed for a double, scoring two runs. Brown advanced to third on a bunt from Losanno, and scored on a pass ball with Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) at the dish.
The fourth inning saw Crinella come around to score again after DiSarcina reached due to an error in left field. O'Neill followed that up with a line-drive double in the gap in left-center field to make it a 5-2 game. Losanno dropped down a beautiful bunt later in the frame on a squeeze play, allowing O'Neill to race home from third.
Things fell apart for Kulaga and the Warriors in the top of the sixth inning. When it was all over with, the visitors plated seven runs to take a 10-6 lead. The frame began with four consecutive hits, chasing Kulaga from the ball game. Nate Spielvogel (Brookline, Mass.) came in from the bullpen to minimize the damage, but three additional runs scored, only one of which was earned and charged to Spielvogel.
Kulaga's final line included five innings pitched allowing 14 hits and seven runs. Six of the runs were earned and he struck out one batter. Spielvogel settled down and did not allowed a run in his final three frames of work.
The Warriors offense did not go quietly. In the bottom of the sixth, Petrone responded with a two-RBI single with the bases loaded to score DiSarcina and Brown. In the bottom of the eight, Petrone stepped into the box again representing the go-ahead run with two on and one out, but the sophomore outfielder grounded into a double play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Crinella entered the box with one runner on, but he flew out to centerfield to end the contest.
Inside The Numbers
- Closing in on records: After Carnevale's nine-inning performance, he now is just five innings away from tying the program (245). He also is resting on 16 career victories, which is one away from tying the program mark. He already set Merrimack's strikeout record earlier this season
- Crinella combined to go 3-for-9 with three walks and three runs scored on the afternoon to increase his hitting streak to 11 games, datting back to March 29 against Stonehill. DiSarcina increased his own streak to 10 games, including a three-hit performance in Game 1
- Spielvogel lowered his ERA to 3.27 after his four-inning performance. He has been one of Merrimack's most reliable relievers this season.
- The middle of the Ravens' order was a thorn in Merrimack's side all afternoon. Hitters No. 3-6 combined for 13 of Franklin Pierce's 24 hits over the two games, including all seven hits in the first game
- Merrimack had success getting runners on base, but knocking them home was the issue. The Warriors left 23 runners on base, 11 in the first game and 12 in the second
Up Next
The Navy and Gold conclude an eight-game homestand on Wednesday afternoon when the Warriors take on Assumption at 3:30 p.m.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
