Baseball Suffers Two Close Defeats Sunday at Pace

4/9/2017 12:00:00 AM

Links: Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2)

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Merrimack College baseball team travelled down to Peter X. Finnery Field on Sunday afternoon to play Pace University in a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader, as the Warriors switched the games to Pace after the Warrior Baseball Diamond was deemed unplayable this weekend. The Setters handed the Warriors a pair of losses including a 3-0 shutout to begin the day and a 6-5 comeback win to end it.

The Basics
Score (G1): Pace 3, Merrimack 0
Score (G2): Pace 6, Merrimack 5
Records: Merrimack (12-12-1, 6-2-1 NE10) | Pace (18-9, 8-2 NE10)
Location: Finnerty Field | Pleasantville, N.Y.       

Inning By Inning (G1)

• Top 2^nd  – Three straight singles from the bottom of Merrimack's order loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second, bringing redshirt-junior Tyler Lyne (Agawam, Mass.) up to bat. Merrimack's centerfielder drove a liner into right, but it was caught to prevent the Warriors from scoring
• Bottom 4^th – After redshirt-junior Michael Nocera (Bristol, Conn.) retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced including two perfect innings, the Setters got to him in the fourth. The first three hitters reached on two singles and an error to score one run, but three straight outs minimized the damage for Nocera
• Bottom 6^th – Nocera retired the first batter of the inning, but two walks and a single marked the end of his outing. Senior Perry Kulaga (Lincroft, N.J.) entered the game and allowed two of the inherited runners to score on a base hit and a sacrifice fly, as Pace took a 3-0 lead into the final third of the game
• Top 7^th – Merrimack's biggest threat came immediately after Pace's two runs. The Warriors loaded the bases in the seventh, behind singles for captains Ricky Smith (Weymouth, Mass.) and Mike Forgione (North Branford, Conn.) as well as a walk for Lyne. Pace made a pitching change and after freshman Joey Porricelli (Monroe, Conn.) worked himself into a hitter's count (3-1), he grounded out to shortstop to end the threat

Inning By Inning (G2)

• Bottom 1^st – Senior Joe Velozo (Tewksbury, Mass.) made his second start of the season on Sunday, and saw the leadoff man reach on an error before advancing to third with one out. Velozo struck out Pace's No. 3 hitter and bested the Setter's cleanup batter to end the frame unscathed
• Top 2^nd  – Two straight hit batsmen followed by a single loaded the bases for the Warriors with no outs. Singles from Forgione and Porricelli as well as a groundout by Lyne allowed sophomore Matthew Ronai (Orange, Conn.) and seniors Ryan Petrone (Leicester, Mass.) and Paul Buckley (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) to score and give Merrimack a 3-0 lead
• Bottom 3^rd – With Merrimack holding a 4-0 lead after tacking one on in the top half of the third, Velozo allowed his first run of the game on a single that got just by the diving reach of Porricelli at third
• Top 4^th – Forgione and Lyne combined for Merrimack's fifth run. The former drew a walk and stole second to put himself in scoring position, while the latter roped a liner into the left-center gap to pick up a RBI double
• Bottom 6^th – The Setters rallied back with four runs to tie the game. After a bases-loaded single made it a 5-2 game, Kulaga entered the game from the bullpen as he did in the opener. The senior rolled up a double play to move within one out of escaping further damage, but three straight singles for Pace plated two additional runs to tie the game at 5-5
• Bottom 7^th – Another unearned run allowed the Setters to take their first lead of the game, with the leadoff man coming around to score after reaching on Merrimack's fourth error of the day
• Top 9^th – Merrimack attempted to work some more two-out magic that was effective in the Stonehill series, with Buckley and senior Chris Cimmino (Orange, Conn.) standing on second and first, respectively, after the Warriors had their first two batters retired. The game ended on the next batter, however, as Forgione fouled out to the first baseman to end the day

Game 1 Notes

• G1: WP – Rocoo (4-0) | LP – Nocera (0-3) | S:  Criscione (1)
• Nocera's fell two outs short of his first quality start of the season, but did see his 5.1 innings of work bring his season total to 18.2, resulting in a new career high for the third-year hurler
• Kulaga returned to the hill for the second time in three days, and registered 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and sitting down eight of the final nine batters he faced
• Ronai saw his 22-game hitting streak snapped. It marked the longest for the program since at least 2006. He now has only gone hitless twice this season

Game 2 Notes

• G2: WP – Amato (1-1) | LP – Kulaga (1-2)
• The four errors marked the Warriors' second-highest total of the season. It resulted in just one earned run charged to the duo of Velozo and Kulaga
• Making his second start of the season, the fourth-year southpaw worked into the sixth inning for the second straight outing. Velozo collected one strikeout and only one of the four runs on his watch was earned
• Buckley and Porricelli tied for the team lead with three hits apiece, with all six combined base knocks being singles. Lyne and Ronai struck Merrimack's two extra-base hits, both of which were doubles

Up Next
The Warriors travel to Saint Anselm College on Tuesday for a 3:30 p.m. divisional tilt in Manchester, N.H.  

--

For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.