Bats Power Baseball to Sweep of Saint Anselm Sunday

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

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Merrimack College baseball program increased its season-long winning streak to six games on Sunday afternoon, scoring 28 total runs in a Northeast Division doubleheader sweep of Saint Anselm College for Sullivan Park on the Hawks' campus. The Warriors improved to 18-12 on the season and 7-1 in divisional play, ranking second in the Northeast. Merrimack's two wins clinched the season series over Saint Anselm, giving the Warriors three series triumphs this season.

Merrimack posted victories of 14-5 and 14-3, combining for 31 hits over the two games. The Warriors offense now has totaled at least 10 hits in 13 games this season, and owns a 12-1 record in those contests. Freshman Michael Golankiewicz enjoyed the best day of his collegiate career with his first two career home runs, hitting one in each contest. Senior Matthew Ronai combined for five hits and five RBI across the two tilts, and sophomore starters Vin Zappulla and Timmy Kalantzakos each threw a quality start to each post their team-leading fifth win of the season.

The Basics
Score (G1): Merrimack 14, Saint Anselm 5
Score (G2): Merrimack 14, Saint Anselm 3
Records: Merrimack (18-12, 7-1 NE Div.)
Records: Saint Anselm (6-23, 1-7 NE Div.)
Location: Sullivan Park, Manchester, N.H.    

Rapid Recap (Game 1):

• Junior Joey Porricelli drew a four-pitch walk to start the game, stole second and scored on a single by classmate Thomas Joyce. With two outs, Joyce stole second and raced home on a base hit from freshman Kurtis Stadnicki to put the Warriors in front, 2-0
• Five more runs came across in the second for Merrimack, making it a 7-0 game. Porricelli knocked in two with a single, Joyce added another run-scoring base knock and then came around to score on a wild pitch
• Ronai account for Merrimack's next three runs, driving in one in the fourth and two in the fifth. His double in the fifth came with the bases load, and gave the Warriors a 10-0 advantage
• Zappulla tossed four scoreless innings to start the game, stranding seven Hawks over the first four frames. Saint Anselm finally broke through in the fifth with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Golankiewicz got one back in the top of the sixth, making it an 11-2 game with his first career homer
• Merrimack's final three runs touched home in the ninth, with Ronai driving in his fourth run of the day while two Warriors scoring on a fielding error by the hosts. Relievers Stephen Fleury, Sean Thompson and Jeremy Blake-Johnson threw the final three innings for Merrimack, with the latter making his season debut

Rapid Recap (Game 2):

• The team's scored a run apiece over the first two innings, but Merrimack scored six runs over the third and fourth frames to break the contest open. Junior Nick Shumski notched a run-scoring single in the third, and Golankiewicz blasted a three-run homer to start the fourth, his second round-tripper of the day. Porricelli and Joyce knocked in runs with a single and sacrifice fly later in the fourth, leaving the visitors with a 7-1 lead
• Kalantzakos pitched with the lead the rest of the afternoon, allowing just one earned run during his eight-inning outing. The Andover, Mass. native struck out a career-best 11 batters, as well
• The Warriors pushed across six insurance runs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by run-scoring hits for Ronai, sophomore Thomas Crowley and sophomore Michael Jamele. Senior Trevor Cooley relived Kalantzakos in the ninth, throwing a run-free inning of relif

Notes and Notables (Game 1):

• WP – Zappulla (5-1) | LP – Conaton (2-3)
• Zappulla's Final Line (W): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Merrimack's righty lasted through the sixth inning, tossing his sixth quality start of the year and fourth straight overall. Zappulla has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven straight starts
• Golankiewicz's first career homer was also the first of the season for any of Merrimack's newcomers. The rookie accounted for one of two of Merrimack's extra-base hits on the day as the Warriors totaled 15 hits, 13 of which were singles
• Ronai, Joyce, Golankiewicz and senior Anthony Garbarino each collected multi-hit days. Ronai's four-hit effort led all players, his second four-hit game of the season and fifth game with at least three hits over his last 10 contests overall
• The Warriors were aggressive on the base paths, tying their season high with seven steals

Notes and Notables (Game 2)

• WP – Kalantzakos (5-1) | LP – Yerrington (1-1)
• Kalantzakos' Final Line (W): 8.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 11 K
• Merrimack's right-hander struck out three more batters than his previous season high, moved into the team lead in innings pitched (53.0), and is now 1.1 innings shy of setting a new career high for innings thrown in a season
• Kalantzakos also has the team lead with seven quality starts this year
• Five different Warriors posted an extra-base hit, with four different players hitting a double in addition to Golankiewicz's homer.
• Six of Merrimack's nine hitters finished with a multi-hit day with Crowley and Garbarino tying for the team lead with three hits each
• Golankiewicz led the way with three RBI while five others knocked in two runs each

Up Next
Merrimack hosts Assumption College for the Warriors and Greyhounds second divisional meeting on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. from LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass.