Baseball Rallies to Salvage Series Finale vs. #20 Southern NH, 9-7, in 10 Innings
Links: Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Merrimack College baseball team scored twice in the top of the ninth inning and three more times in the top of the tenth to rally and take the series finale against the No. 20 Southern New Hampshire Penmen, 9-7, on Sunday afternoon from the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 9 | #20 Southern NH 7
Records: Merrimack (15-16, 7-11 NE Div.) | #20 Southern NH (29-9, 15-4 NE Div.)
Location: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium | Manchester, N.H.
What The Said
Head coach Nick Barese: "I was proud of how hard we fought all game. To go ahead like that early, and then tie the game with two outs in the ninth shows how the guys never gave up. Our pitching kept us in it all game, and we got the big hit when we needed it."
NE-10 Postseason Outlook
The top-four teams in the Northeast Division advance to the Northeast-10 Championship. Division records are in parentheses. Merrimack plays three games in the upcoming week, including a head-to-head matchup with Bentley on Tuesday. The Warriors conclude the season with a doubleheader Saturday against Assumption. Standings as of 4/26/15
1) Franklin Pierce 38-2 (16-1)
2) Southern NH 29-9 (15-4)
3) Stonehill 27-10-1 (13-5)
4) Bentley 9-19 (7-9)
5) Merrimack 15-16 (7-11)
6) Saint Anselm 13-23 (7-13)
7) Assumption 8-27 (4-13)
8) Saint Michael's 10-28 (4-17)
How It Happened
The Warriors came down to their final out in the top of the ninith, with a 12th divisional loss looming. Merrimack and Bentley are currently batting for the final playoff in the Northeast Division, with the Falcons two games ahead of the Warriors in the loss column.
With Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.), standing at third base and two outs of a 6-4 game, junior centerfielder Bobby Losanno (Peabody, Mass.) reached base on an error by the Penmen shortstop, allowing O'Neill to score to bring the Navy and Gold within one run. Senior Dionys Quezada (Lawrence, Mass.) stepped into the box and ripped the game-tying triple into left-center field, allowing the speedy Losanno to score all the way from first base. SNHU got out of the frame, getting Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) to groundout to end the inning.
Freshman Anthony Lupi (Dover, N.H.) pitched around back-to-back two-out walks to send the game to extras. In the top of the tenth, the Merrimack offense immediately got to work. Junior Frank Crinella (East Longmeadow, Mass.) lead off by getting hit by a pitch, and scored the first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from O'Neill. The next two batters, junior Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.) and sophomore Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) reached base, before Losanno knocked both runners home with a double to build a three-run lead at 9-6.
Sophomore Nate Spielvogel (Brookline, Mass.) allowed one run in the bottom of the inning, but buckled down to record his fifth save of the season. Spielvogel now ranks third in the Northeast-10 in saves. Lupi picked up his first career win by throwing two scoreless innings.
The Warriors entered Sunday hoping to salvage a win in the series finale against the host Penmen. The contest was played at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, the home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Southern NH actually played twice on Sunday, beating Bentley in walk-off fashion on campus before making the short trip to the home of the minor-league affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Merrimack jumped out quickly on the Penmen. In the top of the first inning, batters No. 1-4 in the order all reached base and came around to score. Crinella doubled home Lyne, and sophomore Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.) followed with a single to score Crinella. DiSarcina proceeded to advance to second on a throwing error by the right fielder. O'Neill, playing at third base for the second straight day, tripled to plate DiSarcina. O'Neill trotted home to score the final run of the frame on a groundout from Brown.
Starter Perry Kulaga (Lincroft, N.J.) only allowed one Penmen run through the first three innings of work. In the bottom of the fourth he ran into trouble, as Southern NH scored twice to make it a one-run game at 4-3 courtesy of a sacrifice fly and a RBI single.
Kulaga faced further trouble in the bottom of the seventh. He did not get out of the inning, allowing the first two battles to reach on extra-base hits, which scored the tying him. Sophomore Matt Dinello (Southington, Conn.) relieved the Warriors starter, but could not prevent the runner he inherited from coming around to score. When the damage was done, the Penmen led 6-4.
Inside The Numbers
- Lupi picked a good time to throw his best game to date. In his fourth career appearance, he got through an outing without allowing a run for the first time, limiting the Penmen to just one hit in the eighth and ninth innings
- Merrimack benefitted from depth throughout the lineup. Batters No. 1-9 all reached base, with eight of the nine hitters recording a base knock. Lyne and O'Neill each had multi-hit nights
- Crinella extended his hitting streak again, as he has now hit safely in 15 straight games. He scored two runs and now leads the lead with 33 on the season
- The win over the Penmen marked Merrimack's first win of the season against a ranked opponent. The Warriors were previously 0-5 this year against teams among the top-25 in the nation. It is the second straight season that Merrimack has knocked off Southern NH when they have been ranked
Up Next
The Navy and Gold begin the final week of the regular season on Tuesday afternoon out in Waltham with its series finale against the Bentley University Falcons. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
