Hudson Deals Seven Scoreless, Nicholson's Ninth-Inning Blast Propels Baseball to 5-4 Comeback Win
Links: Box Score
EASTON, Mass. – Redshirt-freshman Garrett Hudson (Greenville, Mass) entered in the third inning against the Stonehill Skyhawks, facing a 4-1 deficit, and threw seven scoreless frames to keep the Merrimack College baseball team within reach, and sophomore Matt Nicholson (Rockland, Mass.) hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth to cap off the Warriors' comeback effort as the Navy and Gold left Lou Gorman Field with a 5-4 win on Friday afternoon.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 5, Stonehill 4
Records: Merrimack (28-17, 12-8 NE-10) | Stonehill (24-19, 9-11 NE-10)
Location: Lou Gorman Field | Easton, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Nick Barese: "I was really impressed and proud at how relentless our entire team was today. Our captains stressed the importance of remaining positive all day, no matter what. Even when we were in a tough spot, everyone stayed up and behind each other."
NE-10 Postseason Outlook:
The top-four teams in the Northeast Division advanced to the NE-10 Championship, with the top-two seeds hosting the third and fourth seeds in first-round games on Tuesday, May 10. With their two wins today, the Warriors clinched the third seed and will play Southern New Hampshire in the opening round on Tuesday.
1. Franklin Pierce (20-1)
2. Southern N.H. (18-3)
3. Merrimack (12-8)
4. Assumption (10-11)
5. Stonehill (9-11)
6. Bentley (7-14)
7. Saint Michael's (4-17)
8. Saint Anselm (3-18)
How It Happened
With Merrimack's pitching stretched thin following the 16-inning series opener, junior Joe Velozo (Tewksbury, Mass.) got the start in game two, making his first start of the season. The Warriors loaded the bases in the second, and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Mike Hoalcraft (Fayetteville, N.Y.) to take a 1-0 advantage.
Stonehill responded with four runs off Velozo in the bottom half. A RBI double plated the first run to tie the game before a pair of run-scoring singles accounted for the other three runs. Velozo limited the damage after that, but the Skyhawks took a 4-1 lead into the third inning.
Hudson came in during the bottom half of the third and immediately quieted the Skyhawks' bats, allowing the Warriors offense to build a comeback. With the score still at 4-1, Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.) singled to begin the sixth and with two outs and the junior infielder on third, senior Matt Brown (Belmont, Mass.) came to the plate. Merrimack's senior designated hitter belted his third homer of the year to left field to cut the deficit to one, 4-3.
Hudson didn't face more than four batters in an inning from the sixth through eight, striking out three Skyhawks during that span. Merrimack's offense could not push a run across, however, and entered the ninth still down by one.
Brown picked up his third hit of the day off Skyhawks' starter Jeremy Roberts, chasing him from the ball game. Nicholson greeted Stonehill's reliever with his team-leading sixth home run of the season, putting the Warriors in front for the first time since the game was 1-0 entering the bottom of the third.
In the bottom half, Hudson got the first out on a popup to short and followed by striking out the last two batters of the game to wrap up the two-game sweep on the day for the Warriors.
Inside The Numbers
- Hudson's final line (W, 1-1): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K's
- Brown's third homer of the year combined with Nicholson's sixth bring the Warriors' team total to 17 on the year. Brown is tied for the second on the squad, with Nicholson is three round-trippers clear of him
- With his total now at six on the year, Nicholson now is tied with Brown for the most career homers of any current Warrior. His single-season total of six is the most since 2014, when Frank Crinella also knocked six out of the park
- Hudson dropped his season ERA by nearly three runs after his performance against the Skyhawks. He now has a scoreless innings streak of 10.0, setting career highs in innings pitched (7) and strikeouts (8) on the day
- The Navy and Gold are locked into a third-place finish in the Northeast Division, regardless of the result in tomorrow's series finale. The Warriors will travel to Southern New Hampshire for the opening round of the NE-10 Championship on Tuesday
Up Next
The series concludes tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m., marking the regular-season finale for both teams.
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