Baseball Stifles Sacred Heart on Senior Day, 15-3

Links: Box Score

ANDOVER, MASS. – After celebrating the careers of five seniors and five graduate students to begin Saturday's action, the Merrimack College baseball team dominated the visiting Sacred Heart University Pioneers, 15-3, to win its second Northeast Conference (NEC) game in as many days. Merrimack improved to 17-19 (12-11 NEC) with the victory while Sacred Heart dropped to 19-22 (14-9). With the two wins this weekend, Merrimack captured its fifth NEC series win of the spring.

Two sixth-year pitchers and one fifth-year hurler combined to throw the three-run affair. Graduate student Riley Sorenson started and worked seven innings to record his fifth win of the season. Another grad student in Stephen Fleury tossed a scoreless eighth and sixth-year lefty Daniel Amidon ended the afternoon in the ninth frame.

Offensively, Merrimack set a season best in runs while tying its season high with 17 base hits. Five Warriors enjoyed multi-hit afternoons while a trio of players posted at least three base knocks. Junior Michael Golankiewicz tied his career high with four hits while sophomore Alex Haba and freshman Bryant Skurbe each went yard for the hosts. The trio of Haba, Golankiewicz and senior Michael Jamele combined to knock in eight runs from the bottom three spots in Merrimack's order.

Amidon, Fleury and Jamele were joined by seniors Thomas Crowley, Timmy Kalantzakos, Jake Thibault, and Vin Zappulla along with graduate students Thomas Joyce, Joey Porricelli and Nick Shumski as players who were honored during the Senior Day festivities.
 

Awesome Day
Awesome Win
Awesome Group of Graduates

Thank you for everything you've done for this program!#GoMack pic.twitter.com/5ytLzxmZEq
— Merrimack Baseball (@MerrimackBSB) May 15, 2021

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 15, Sacred Heart 3
Records: Merrimack (17-19, 12-11 NEC) | Sacred Heart (19-22, 14-9 NEC)
Location: Andover, Mass. | Warrior Diamond  

Rapid Recap

• Both teams scored twice each in the second inning. Sacred Heart began with a two-out rally. The visitors loaded the bases, and scored twice on a single up the middle to take a 2-0 lead. Haba responded in the bottom half of the frame, driving a 2-1 pitch over the fence in left field to bring the game even at two runs apiece
• A six-run fourth inning blew the game open for Merrimack. The Warriors sent 11 hitters to the plate in the inning, and saw seven of the first eight reach base. Joyce hit an RBI single and Golankiewicz knocked in one with a double to account for the first two runs. Jamele hit a grounder to second that plated Haba, and was able to reach after a throwing error pulled Sacred Heart's first baseman off the bag. Porricelli hit a sacrifice fly and junior Ben Nelson added a RBI double to make it a 7-2 ball game. Nelson advanced to third on a single by Shumski, and then scored when a failed pickoff attempt at first base went into right field.
• Sorenson settled into his outing from there, retiring 13 straight Pioneers at one point. He threw four perfect innings in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth frames. After a leadoff homer in the seventh, Merrimack's righty sat down the Pioneers to end his outing with only three runs allowed
• Jamele hit a RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to bring the lead back to six, 9-3. In the eighth, Merrimack's offense scored six times off three different Sacred Heart pitchers. Skurbe hit a leadoff homer, Golankiewicz hit a two-run double, Jamele and Shumski each had RBI singles and freshman Christian Gemelli knocked in his first career run on a fielder's choice to increase Merrimack's advantage to 15-3
• Fleury and Amidon combined for three strikeouts while allowing just one baserunner each to pitch shutout innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively

Top Performers // Notes

• WP: Sorenson (5-3) | LP: LaMay (3-4)
• Sorenson's win was the 16^th of his career, moving him into a tie for third place on Merrimack's all-time list. It was also his 49^th career appearance, which is the second most in Warriors history
• Skurbe hit his fifth homer of the year while Haba belted his fourth. They sit second and third, respectively, on the team in long balls
• Haba and junior Kurtis Stadnicki both posted three-hit games. The duo along with Golankiewicz shared the team lead with three runs scored apiece
• Golankiewicz hit three doubles, the first three-double game for a Warrior since Jamele hit three in 2019. Merrimack's junior outfielder also extended his career-high hitting streak to eight games
• Shumski moved into a tie for the team lead with his 10^th multi-hit game of the season

Up Next:
Merrimack attempts to sweep Sacred Heart in its home finale tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.