Losanno's Big Day Powers Baseball to Doubleheader Sweep of Mercy Saturday
Links: Box Score (G1) | Box Score (G2)
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Senior centerfielder Bobby Losanno (Peabody, Mass.) scored the game-winning run in the Merrimack's College baseball team's first walk-off win at the Warrior Baseball Diamond in nearly two years, and followed that up by knocking in the eventual game-winning runs in game two as the Warriors swept the visiting Mercy College Mavericks on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
Score (G1 – 10 innings): Merrimack 8, Mercy 7
Score (G2 – 8 innings): Merrimack 6, Mercy 4
Records: Merrimack (7-3) | Mercy (4-8)
Location: Warrior Baseball Diamond| North Andover, Mass.
What They Said
Head Coach Nick Barese: "I thought today was a great example of how mentally tough this team is capable of being. From the coaching staff, to the players on the field, the pitching and the offense as a whole – I though we just continued to battle adversity all day. I was really proud of how we played in both games.
How It Happened (G1)
The Warriors got on the board first in the bottom of the third. With two outs, junior Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) hit a double that scored Pat Florence (Lowell, Mass.) and Mike Forgione (North Branford, Conn.). The Mavericks responded with a four-run fourth, pounding out six hits in the frame.
Sophomore Matt Nicholson (Rockland, Mass.) hit home Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.) in the bottom half of the fourth, but the Warriors could not score more than that after loading the bases. The onslaught continued in the fifth, as Merrimack batted around and chased Mavericks' starter Matt Snyder. Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.) and Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.) each picked up RBI singles, while Nicholson hit the lone extra-base hit of the frame, a run-scoring double. The Navy and Gold led, 7-4, after five innings.
Junior Perry Kulaga (Lincroft, N.J.) battled through the seventh, not allowing a run after the fourth inning. Junior Matt DiNello (Southington, Conn.) was the first out of the bullpen in the eighth, but allowed a home run and a double, making it a 7-6 game. With the bases loaded, Nate Spielvogel (Brookline, Mass.) came on to strike out Nick Arcabascio, the Mavericks' leading hitter, to get out of inning.
In the top of the ninth, a hit batsmen, passed ball and a single allowed the tying run to score. After getting two on in the ninth, Merrimack was unable to score as the game went into extra innings. Spielvogel struck on the side in the tenth before the Warriors won the game in the bottom half.
Losanno keyed the tenth-inning rally by hitting a two-out single and stole second to move into scoring position. Lyne hit a grounder to third that was booted by the third baseman, allowing Losanno to come around and score the winning run.
How It Happened (G2)
Another back-and-forth game ensued in the nightcap. Through three frames, the Warriors jumped ahead 2-0 courtesy of two RBIs from DiSarcina. Losanno hit his first triple of the season in the third, and scored when DiSarcina reached on an error.
Despite seven strikeouts through five innings, sophomore PJ Browne (Rutland, Mass.) allowed a four-run fourth inning, which featured three home runs, to stake the Mavericks to a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the fifth. Merrimack got one back after Chris Cimmino (Orange, Conn.) scored on another Mavericks' miscue.
Losanno's pivotal performance continued in the bottom of the sixth. After Cimmino scored O'Neill with a single to tie the game, the fourth-year outfielder stepped into the box with the bases loaded. He slapped a single into right field, plating Brown and junior Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.). The rally ended there, giving Browne at two-run leading entering the seventh.
Merrimack's southpaw buckled down, putting up two zeros in the seventh and eighth to secure the complete-game victory. The contest was called after eight due to darkness.
Inside The Numbers
- Kulaga's final line (ND): 7.0 IP, 10 hits, four runs, two walks, three strikeouts
- Browne's final line (W): 8.0 IP, seven hits, four runs, eight strikeouts
- The first game marked Merrimack's first extra-innings contest at Warrior Baseball Diamond since April of 2014. It also was Merrimack's first walk-off win at home since the same season, a 7-6 victory over Assumption
- Batting from the nine-hole, Losanno totaled three hits, scored two runs and added two RBI. He hit a triple in the second affair, marking his second extra-base hit of the year and his first-career three-bagger
- DiSarcina vaulted into first on the team in average (.324) after two multi-hit games. He now has hit safely in four straight and eight of 10 games this season
Up Next
The Warriors host another doubleheader tomorrow, when Merrimack takes on Dominican beginning at 12 p.m. The Navy and Gold defeated the Chargers, 12-2, at the Northeast Challenge in Myrtle Beach, S.C. two weeks ago.
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