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COLCHESTER, Vt. – Sophomore shortshop
Nick Shumski hit a two-run single in the top of the eighth, spurning a four-run inning that turned a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead as the Merrimack College baseball team completed its series sweep of Saint Michael's, 8-5, on Sunday afternoon at Doc Jacobs Field. The Warriors have now won 11 of their last 13 games, moving into fourth place in the Northeast Division with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 8, Saint Michael's 5
Records: Merrimack (19-14, 12-8 NE10, 7-5 NE DIV)
Records: Saint Michael's (6-23, 1-12 NE10, 1-10 NE DIV)
Location: Doc Jacobs Field | Colchester, Vt.
Rapid Recap
- Freshman Vin Zappulla worked in a 0-0 game in the bottom of the third. The Staten Island, N.Y. native recorded a pair of outs, but an error extending the inning and Saint Michael's hit a RBI single to open a 1-0 lead
- Merrimack's bats picked up their starter in the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, an error of the bat of senior Ricky Smith gave the Warriors their first run and a passed ball allowed Merrimack to take a 2-1 lead. In the bottom half, however, three hits combined with an error enabled the Purple Knights to even the score at 2-2
- Graduate student Tyler Lyne hit a RBI single in the top of the fifth, putting Merrimack in front again. The Purple Knights responded in the bottom half, scoring a pair of runs off sophomore Stephen Fleury to take a 4-3 lead
- The Warriors rallied in the top of the eighth. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Shumski slapped a single to right field to plate both Warriors and swing the game back in Merrimack's favor, 5-4. Classmate Joey Porricelli followed with a RBI double and scored on another single by Lyne, bringing the Navy and Gold's advantage to 7-4
- Redshirt-junior Garrett Hudson entered the game in the bottom of the eighth, inheriting a pair of baserunners. The righty induced a fielder's choice, which put runners on the corners, and ended the frame on a punch out swinging
- Merrimack tacked on an insurance run in the ninth. The Purple Knights scored once in the bottom half, but Hudson limited the scoring there to end the game
Notes and Notables:
- WP: Fleury (2-3) | LP: Mendez (0-4) | S: Hudson (3)
- Shumski had proved much-needed length to Merrimack's lineup. Over his last nine games, the Warriors' No. 9 hitter is hitting .419 (13-31) with five of his hits going for extra-bases. He has seen his average climb to nearly .250 during the run
- The starting shortshop has hit safely in eight of the nine contests, with five multi-hit efforts
- The Navy and Gold's run of recent success has seen Merrimack pull with half-a-game of third place in the division. The Warriors face third-place Assumption on Wednesday in a rubber game of a three-game set that will decide who gets the head-to-head tiebreaker over the other
- Senior Matt Nicholson led six Warriors who had multi-hit efforts with a three-hit game. It marked the cleanup hitter's fifth three-hit performance of the year
Up Next
The Navy and Gold will play Saint Anselm at Northeast Delta Stadium – the home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats – for a non-conference tilt on Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. in Manchester, N.H.
