Baseball Looks to Even Series at Division-Leading Assumption Wednesday

Matchup	Merrimack (12-13, 5-7 NE10, 0-4 NE DIV) at Assumption (13-15-1, 7-3-1 NE10, 4-0 NE DIV)
Date//Time	Wednesday, April 11, 2018 // 3:30 p.m.
Venue	Rocheleau Field (Worcester, Mass.)
Multimedia	Live Stats
Social Media	Twitter // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Winners of four of its last five games, the Merrimack College baseball program looks to ride that momentum into Worcester, Mass. on Wednesday afternoon when the Warriors face the Assumption Greyhounds in Northeast Division play beginning at 3:30 p.m. from Rocheleau Field. The Navy and Gold dropped their series opener against the Greyhounds, who currently lead the division with a 4-0 record.  

Last Time Out:

• Coming off a Northeast-10 Conference sweep of Saint Rose on Saturday, the Warriors split with No. 20 Le Moyne on Sunday. Senior captain Anthony Lupi threw a complete game in the second tilt to lead Merrimack to the upset of the Dolphins
• It marked the Dover, N.H. native's first-ever complete game. Lupi made his 21^st career start on Sunday, allowing just one run while scattering eight hits
• The Navy and Gold scored twice in the early going, while senior Mike Hoalcraft hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eight to give Merrimack its 3-1 advantage. Lupi returned to the hill in ninth and retired the side in order to preserve the victory

'Mack Facts:

• Senior Matt Nicholson enters the week as the team leader in average at .394, which ranks fourth in the NE10. As a team, Merrimack boasts three of the top 15 hitters in the conference with junior Matthew Ronai (.391) and graduate student Tyler Lyne (.359) joining Nicholson among the league's best
• As a team, Merrimack's offense ranks second in the division by hitting at a .289 clip. The Warriors' 52 doubles sits third in the league, while Lyne's 10 two-baggers are tied for the second most in the conference
• With a team-high 26 runs scored this season and 109 in his career, Lyne has risen to seventh all-time in school history. He is also fifth in school annals with 227 total bases
• On the mound, senior PJ Browne continues to lead the staff statistically. He enters the week first on the squad in ERA (2.01), ranking ninth in the conference. He boasts 211 career innings pitched and 218 strikeouts, both of which are nearing school records. Browne needs 13 more punch outs to set a new school mark
• Thanks to three starters working into the ninth inning over the weekend, the Warriors lowered their team ERA to 4.79. Freshman Vin Zappulla joined Lupi with a nine-inning effort, becoming the first rookie to throw a complete game for Merrimack since Browne in 2015. Redshirt-junior Garrett Hudson also worked 8.1 innings on Saturday, setting a career-high in innings pitched

Scouting the Greyhounds:

• Since beating Merrimack, 10-5, towards the end of March, Assumption has gone 6-1-1 over its last eight games. The Greyhounds swept a divisional series with Saint Anselm, and knocked off Saint Rose twice over the weekend to account for the other victories
• Three 30-plus hit Greyhounds lead the offense, including a team-best 44 base knocks for leadoff hitter Quinn Moynihan. Senior Andrew Jaehnig provides the pop, slashing .322/.397/.496 and leading the team in homers (4) and RBI (26)
• Assumption's pitching is the strength of the team, with the Greyhounds owning the third-best ERA in the division (4.32). Five hurlers own sub-3.00 ERAs and all five have thrown at least 13 innings and appeared in at least four games in 2018

Recent Series:

• Merrimack held a 5-1 lead for most of the first meeting, only to see Assumption score nine times between the seven and ninth innings including a seven-run ninth to rally and win
• Sophomore Kyle Autilio threw for Assumption, working the first 4.2 innings. Merrimack scored four times (2 ER) off Assumption's starter
• Assumption's bullpen quieted Merrimack, allowing just three hits from midway through the fifth inning on, allowing its offense to execute the comeback

Up Next:
Merrimack will host Saint Anselm for a three-game set this weekend at Holman Stadium in Nashua, N.H. The Warriors and Hawks will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. followed by a single game on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m.