Felician Trips Up Baseball in Doubleheader Thursday
Links: Box Score (G1) | Box Score (G2)
LYNDHURST, N.J. – The Merrimack College baseball team lost both games of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon against Felician University in two closely contested games from the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex.
The Basics
Score (G1): Felician 5, Merrimack 4
Score (G2): Felician 7, Merrimack 5
Records: Merrimack (11-7) | Felician (11-13)
Location: Lyndhurst Recreation Complex | Lyndhurst, N.J.
How It Happened (G1)
Sophomore Anthony Lupi (Dover, N.H.) made his third start of the season in the opener. A run-scoring triple follow by a RBI groundout staked the Golden Falcons to a 2-0 advantage after one inning.
After missing the Queens series, junior leftfielder Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice in the second the scored Pat Florence (Lowell, Mass.). The next two innings went by scoreless, as Felician led by one run entering the top of the fifth.
Merrimack would score once in each of the next three frames to take its first lead of the day. Lyne was involved again in the fifth, scoring on a groundout by senior Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.). In the sixth, the bottom of the lineup came through as hitters No. 7-9 all reached base, with senior Bobby Losanno (Peabody, Mass.) knocking in Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) on a single to right-center field.
Felician answered in the bottom of the frame to take its lead back, 4-3, courtesy of a RBI single before scoring on a fielding error by Merrimack. The Warriors responded immediately, with cleanup hitter Sean O'Neill (Norwood, Mass.) reaching on a leadoff walk in the seventh and came around to score on a triple from sophomore Matt Nicholson (Rockland, Mass.), tying the game at four-all.
Redshirt freshman Garrett Hudson (Greenfield, Mass.) worked around a leadoff single to pitch a scoreless eighth. The Warriors could not score in the top of the ninth, and with the game on the line, the Golden Falcons walked off with the win on a run-scoring single to right field to end the game.
How It Happened (G2)
Redshirt-sophomore Michael Nocera (Bristol, Conn.) made his second start in as many appearances in the second game, which was a seven-inning contest.
The Merrimack offense supported its hurler by putting up five runs in the first four innings. The first three batters of the second inning reached base before freshman Cory Wasylow (Taunton, Mass.) slapped a single to right field for the game's first run. A double-play ball resulted in the next Warriors' score, which left Chris Cimmino (Orange, Conn.) on third with two outs. Redshirt-junior Mike Forgione (North Branford, Conn.) knocked him home with a grounder up thw middle, making it 3-0 Merrimack.
With the bases loaded again in the fourth, Losanno knocked in a run on a near-infield single, but was thrown out on a bang-bang play at first base. Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.) followed with an opposite-field hit for the fifth run of the day.
Nocera ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing a two-run homer and a run-scoring double from Ronnie Grant that chased him from the game with the tying run on second base. Sophomore Joe Westerman (Maynard, Mass.) came out of the bullpen, and saw his first pitch hit out to right field for a sacrifice fly. The inning ended with the Warriors up, 5-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Falcons pushed three more runs across to take a 7-5 advantage. Losanno led the seventh off with a single, but the Merrimack rally ended there as the Golden Falcons swept the twin bill.
Inside The Numbers
- Lupi's final line (ND): 7.0 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 K
- Nocera's final line (ND): 4.1 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 K
- Making his first career start in leftt field during the second game, Wasylow produced for the Warriors. He hit eighth in the lineup, knocking in one run and notched one hit
- Backstops at the plate: Merrimack's catchers continue to hit well. Florence reached base twice and score a run in the first game, while Cimmino had a multi-hit day in Game 2, scoring each time he got on
Up Next
Merrimack hosts Saint Anselm for a three-game series beginning with a single game on Saturday at 4 p.m. The contest will be played at 4 p.m. from Trinity Stadium in Haverhill, Mass.
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