Links: Box Score
BRIGHTON, MASS. – Behind four RBI from the combination of graduate student
Thomas Joyce and sophomore
Alex Haba along with the pitching duo of graduate students
Stephen Fleury and
Daniel Amidon, the Merrimack College baseball program defeated Boston College for the first time in school history, 7-5, on Tuesday night at the Harrington Athletics Village in Brighton, Mass.
Joyce hit a two-run double in the top of the first inning to get Merrimack's offense going, and Haba drilled a two-RBI triple in the sixth frame that scored what proved to be the game-winning runs. Fleury threw five strong frames, allowing just a pair of runs, to record his second win of the season. Amidon threw the final 1.1 innings, striking out a pair of Eagles and leaving the bases loaded to emerge victorious.
The win gave Merrimack its first-ever win over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent and fourth win overall against Power Five competition.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 7, Boston College 5
Records: Merrimack (18-20) | Boston College (20-26)
Location: Brighton, Mass. | Harrington Athletics Village Â
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack's first three hitters of the game reached, loading the bases with no one out. Joyce then entered the batter's box with one down, and drove a two-run double to the center field wall that plated fellow graduate student Joey Porricelli and junior Ben Nelson to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead. One batter later, junior Michael Golankiewicz hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-0 contest after one half inning
- Graduate student Nick Shumski hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth to bring the Warriors' edge back to two runs
- The Eagles scored once off Fleury in the first and third innings to make it a 3-2 contest through three full frames. The Warriors' right-handed started retired BC in order in the fourth, and working around a leadoff walk in the fifth to keep the visitors in front by a run
- Joyce and Golankiewicz stood at second and third with zero outs in the sixth. After falling down 0-2, Haba drove a pitch over BC's right fielder and to the wall, knocking in a pair of runs to bring the score to 6-2 in favor of Merrimack. Two batters later, senior Michael Jamele hit a run-scoring single into center to plate Haba and give the Warriors a five-run lead
- Despite BC scoring one time each in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames, Merrimack owned a two-run edge, 7-5, going into the bottom of the ninth after Amidon struck out a batter to strand runners in scoring position to close the eighth. Amidon started the ninth with a punch out, and ended the game on a fly ball to Jamele in center, giving Merrimack the victory
Top Performers // Notes
- WP: Fleury (2-0) | LP: Pelio (3-7) | S: Amidon (2)
- Fleury tied his single-season career high with his second win of the year
- Nelson, Joyce and Haba had two hits each
- Haba's triple was his second of the season and fourth of his career. Over his current four-game hitting streak, he's hitting .500 (8-16)
- Joyce hit two doubles of the day, while Merrimack's offense had four as a whole
- Merrimack was active on the bases, stealing four bags
- Golankiewicz extended his hitting streak to 10 games, tied for the longest of the seaosn by a Merrimack player
Up Next:
Merrimack ends the season with its three-game road series against LIU, beginning on Thursday at 3 p.m. down on Long Island.
