Links: Box Score
ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball team won the program's first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) game on Friday afternoon as the Warriors defeated Long Island University, 11-5, in the first of a three-game series this weekend in Andover, Mass. The hosts jumped out to an 8-2 lead through two innings and never looked back, improving to 4-9 (1-3 NEC). LIU dropped to 4-2 (2-2 NEC) on the year.
The top-five hitters in Merrimack's order scored all 11 runs, while combining for nine hits and knocking in nine runs. The duo of graduate student
Nick Shumski and freshman
Bryant Skurbe went a combined 6-for-10 in the No. 3-4 spots in the order, respectively, while junior
Kurtis Stadnicki added a three-run homer.
Graduate student
Joey Porricelli swiped two bases on Friday, breaking the program's all-time steals record that had stood for over three decades. Porricelli's first steal of the game was his 75
th of his career, breaking the program record of 74 that had stood since 1990.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 11, LIU 5
Records: Merrimack (4-9, 1-3 NEC) | LIU (4-2, 2-2 NEC)
Location: Andover, Mass. Â Â Â Â Â
Rapid Recap
- Shumski knocked in a run with a RBI ground out, and Skurbe followed with a run-scoring double to account for Merrimack's first two runs in the bottom of the first. Then with two outs and runners in scoring position, senior Thomas Crowley singled into left to score Skurbe. On the same play, a bobble by LIU's left fielder allowed Stadnicki to score from second. When the first inning was over, Merrimack owned a 4-1 lead
- Porricelli's record-setting steal occurred in the bottom of the second, and then, Merrimack did all its run scoring in the second with two outs. Skurbe dug in and hit an infield single that scored Porricelli from third, accounting for the team's fifth run. Stadnicki followed by hitting the first pitch he saw out of the ballpark, sending Shumski and Skurbe home in front of him to make it an 8-2 game
- Senior Vin Zappulla took the ball for Merrimack, working well through his first three frames. The righty allowed just one earned run to score and two overall entering the top of the fourth. LIU scored two in the fourth, but Zappulla stranded three in the inning to keep the Warriors' lead at four (8-4)
- With the score at 8-5, senior Jake Thibault took over for Zappulla in the sixth, and quieted the Sharks the rest of the game. The right-handed reliever did not allow a run over the final four innings of the game
- Merrimack scored three insurance markers in the bottom of the eight; the top of the order did the damage once more. The first four batters of the inning reached: Porricelli hit a double and stole third, sophomore Alex Haba walked and Shumski followed with a single into left that scored Porricelli. Skurbe then took a 3-2 pitch and doubled into left field that allowed both Haba and Shumski to cross home plate. The inning ended with the hosts in front, 11-5
Top Performers // Notes
- WP: Zappulla (1-2) | LP: Svete (0-1) | S: Thibault (2)
- With single-season steal totals of 29 and 33 in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Porricelli has been knocking on the door of the program record single the start of last season. The fifth-year Warrior needed just three this spring to break the mark, doing so with a swipe of second base in the second inning. He now owns 76 career thefts in 160 career games
- Porricelli added a team-high three runs scored while the quartet of Haba, Shumski, Skurbe and Stadnicki all scored two apiece. Porricelli leads the NEC with 14 runs scored
- Skurbe knocked in a team-high four runs. He moved into the top-five in the NEC with 14 RBI on the year
- Thibault notched his second save of the year, tossing his second appearance of at least three innings of shutout relief
Up Next:
Merrimack and LIU will conclude the series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Â Â
