Links: Box Score (Game 1) |
Box Score (Game 2)
ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College baseball program won the first Northeast Conference (NEC) series in school history via the team's victory over LIU on Saturday, 6-2, in the first game of a doubleheader against the Sharks in Andover, Mass. The Warriors took two of three games against the Sharks on the weekend for their first two NEC wins of the season. LIU won the nightcap of Saturday's twinbill, 9-2.
In the opener, the duo of graduate student
Riley Sorenson and senior
Timmy Kalantzakos combined to throw all nine innings to earn the victory and save, respectively. Freshman
Bryant Skurbe enjoyed a 4-for-4 day at the dish from the cleanup spot. The bottom of Merrimack's order was productive too as spots No. 7-9 knocked in three of the team's six runs.
Sophomore
Alex Haba was the bright spot for the team in the second game, collecting a pair of hits including his third home run of the season.
The Basics
Score (G1): Merrimack 6, LIU 2
Score (G2): LIU 9,
Merrimack 2
Records: Merrimack (5-10, 2-4 NEC) | LIU (5-3, 3-3 NEC)
Location: Andover, Mass. Â Â Â
Rapid Recap (Game 1):
- Sorenson started his outing with a one-two-three first frame, and then stranded a pair of Sharks in the second. LIU scored its lone run off Merrimack's right-hander in the top of the third, taking a 1-0 lead off a solo homer
- Merrimack sent eight batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth to grab a 2-1 advantage. With runners on first and second, Skurbe singled through the right side to score Haba and tie the game. Later in the frame, Merrimack loaded the bases with two down. Junior Michael Golankiewicz then worked a seven-pitch walk to bring in the team's second run
- Sorenson punched out a pair of Sharks in the fifth, and then concluded his outing with an inning-ending double play in the sixth to keep the team's one-run lead intact. Merrimack then added four runs over the sixth and seventh innings to increase its lead to five. In the sixth, senior Thomas Crowley knocked in a run with a double and classmate Michael Jamele added a RBI single. The team also scored runs via a LIU throwing error and on a wild pitch
- Kalantzakos kept the score at 6-1 entering the ninth. Despite allowing a leadoff homer and three additional Sharks to reach, the Andover, Mass. native ended the game on a popup to shortstop
Rapid Recap (Game 2):
- A leadoff triple by graduate student Joey Porricelli followed by Haba's single immediately gave Merrimack a 1-0 lead in the second tilt. LIU tied the game in the top of the third facing graduate student Daniel Amidon, and the chased Merrimack's lefty in the top of the fourth. The visitors led, 3-1, heading to the bottom half of the inning
- Haba led off in the bottom of the fourth, and deposited an 0-1 pitch deep over the left field fence to make it a 2-1 game
- LIU broke the game open with six runs scored in the sixth and seventh innings. Four of the six tallies came in the top of the sixth inning
- Sophomore Jack Collins, freshman Tyghe Healy and junior Brayden Howrigan each threw an inning each without allowing a run out of the bullpen
Notes and Notables (Game 1):
- WP – Sorenson (3-1) | LP: Huertas (0-1) | S: Kalantzakos (1)
- Skurbe set a career high with four base hits, one of which was a double. He joined Haba as Warriors with four-hit games this season
- Crowley also added a multi-hit game, his fourth of the season
- Sorenson collected his 14th career win, becoming just the fifth pitcher in Merrimack history to win at least 14 career games
Notes and Notables (Game 2)
- WP – Lazos (3-0) | LP – Amidon (0-4) | S – Griswold (2)
- Haba joined Crowley and Skurbe with multi-hit games on Saturday, finishing 2-for-4 at the dish
- The trio share the team lead with four multi-hit games each through 15 games
Up Next
Merrimack visits Sacred Heart for three NEC games next week, beginning on Thursday at 3 p.m. Â Â Â
