Baseball Suffers Doubleheader Sweep to Adelphi
Links: Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Merrimack College baseball team suffered a sweep on Thursday in Boca Raton, Fla., as the Warriors dropped a pair of regional games against Adelphi University from the Lynn University Baseball Field.
The Basics
Score (G1): Adelphi 9, Merrimack 3
Score (G2): Adelphi 7, Merrimack 6
Records: Merrimack (4-8) | Adelphi (8-4)
Location: Lynn University Field | Boca Raton, Fla.
How It Happened (G1)
- 1st inning – Redshirt-sophomore Garrett Hudson (Greenfield, Mass.) got the ball for his second start of the year in the opener, but allowed the first two Panthers to reach base in the bottom of the first. Later in the inning, a double, ground out and a single all led to Adelphi runs as the hosts took a 3-0 lead after one inning
- 2nd inning – Singles from junior Mike Hoalcraft (Fayetteville, N.Y.) and sophomore Matthew Ronai (Orange, Conn.) followed by a hit-by-pitch for junior captain Ricky Smith (Weymouth, Mass.) loaded the bases with one out, but the Warriors could not score in the top half. Adelphi came to the sticks and added one run to make it a 4-0 game through two frames
- 6th inning – Facing a 6-0 deficit, Merrimack got two runs back after a double from senior Cam DiSarcina (Shirley, Mass.) and a single from junior Matt Nicholson (Rockland, Mass.) put runners in scoring position. DiSarcina scored on a grounder by Hoalcraft and Ronai answered the bell with a single to plate Nicholson. Despite having runners at second and third with two out, the top half ended there with the deficit at four runs, 6-2
- 7th inning – After adding an additional run in the bottom of the sixth, Adelphi used a two-out rally to score a pair in the seventh to extend its lead to seven runs. Junior Joe Westerman (Maynard, Mass.) erased a leadoff walk with a double-play ball, but a pair of infield singles extended the inning for the Panthers and allowed the frame to continue
- 8th inning – For the second time in the opener, DiSarcina scored on a groundout from Hoalcraft for Merrimack's third run of the day, but that wrapped up the scoring for the Warriors on the day
How It Happened (G2)
- 1st inning – Sophomore Tucker Lord (Cromwell, Conn.) took the ball in the finale for the Warriors, but relented one run in the top of the first as a run-scoring double gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead
- 3rd inning – Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Warriors bats came alive in the bottom of the third. With senior Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) standing on first base, redshirt-junior Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) laced a triple into the left-center field gap that scored the fourth-year Warrior. DiSarcina followed with a single that squared the game at two-all
- 4th inning – Adelphi immediately responded with a RBI triple of its own, and took advantage of a Merrimack error to score three unearned runs in the inning to take a 6-2 lead after three and a half frames
- 6th inning – After two scoreless innings from freshman Stephen Fleury (Wilbraham, Mass.), Merrimack came back to bat in the bottom of the sixth. Hoalcraft was hit by a pitch and Ronai singled to bring senior Chris Cimmino (Orange, Conn.) to the plate. The Merrimack catcher hit a single to right field that scored Merrimack's third run of the day. Senior Paul Buckley (Sacamore Beach, Mass.) stepped into the box and executed a squeeze play to bring home Ronai. With Cimmino on third and a single by Petrone and a walk from graduate Mike Forgione (North Branford, Conn.) loading the bases, Lyne hit a run-scoring groundout and DiSarcina struck a two-out single to tie the game at six-all
- 7th inning – Senior Nate Spielvogel (Brookline, Mass.) came into pitch, but a throwing error on a potential inning-ending double play allowed Adelphi's go-ahead run to score. Merrimack went quietly in the bottom half to allow the Panthers to come away with the sweep
Inside The Numbers
- G1: WP – Baram (2-1) | LP – Hudson (0-2)
- G2: WP – Sesto (1-0) | LP – Lord (1-1)
- With four hits in eight at-bats and two RBI on the day, DiSarcina continued to lead the Warriors offense in his senior season. The first-year captain now has a team-best .426 average to go along with 18 RBI, which also leads the Warriors. DiSarcina has hit in the No. 3 hole in all 12 games so far for the Navy and Gold
- Merrimack was done in defensively, committing 10 errors on the day and allowing seven unearned runs
- Eric Hassell led the Adelphi attack with four RBI in the first game and a 3-for-3 effort in the second contest
Up Next
Merrimack returns to action tomorrow afternoon with two games against Southern Connecticut at 2 p.m. followed by American International at 6 p.m. Both games will be played at the Santaluces Athletic Complex in Lantana, Fla.
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