Links: Box Score (Game 1) |
Box Score (Game 2)
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Merrimack College baseball team hung with first-place Bryant University on Sunday afternoon at Conaty Park, but the host Bulldogs won both games of the Northeast Conference (NEC) doubleheader against the Warriors. Bryant improved to 18-3 in NEC play while Merrimack dropped to 10-11 in league action.
The first game saw Merrimack open with a 2-0 lead following a two-run single by graduate student
Joey Porricelli, but Bryant controlled the rest of the game en route to a 9-3 win. Junior
Wyatt Villella threw six shutout innings to start his outing in the second game of the day, but the hosts scored five runs late to claim a 5-1 win.
The Basics
Score (G1): Bryant 9,
Merrimack 3
Score (G2): Bryant 5,
Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (15-19, 10-11 NEC) | Bryant (22-11-1, 18-3 NEC)
Location: Conaty Park | Smithfield, R.I.
Rapid Recap (Game 1):
- After a scoreless first inning, Merrimack jumped on the board first in the top of the second. Junior Ben Nelson hit a double down the left field line to put runners in scoring position. Later in the inning and with two outs, Porricelli hit a single that plated both Nelson and sophomore Alex Haba to stake the visitors to a 2-0 lead
- Bryant tacked on one run in the bottom of the second, and then posted a five-run third inning to create a 6-2 advantage
- Graduate student Riley Sorenson held Bryant in check from there, putting up zeros in the third, fourth and fifth innings. In the top of the sixth, the Warriors loaded the bases with no outs. After one hitter went down, Nelson chopped a grounder that resulted in a run-scoring fielder's choice to make it a 6-3 game.
- The score remained the same until Bryant scored twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to make it a 9-3 final score. Senior Jake Thibault and junior Cedric Gillette threw the final two innings for Merrimack.
Rapid Recap (Game 2):
- Villella took the ball in the second game and started very strongly, scattering two hits over four scoreless innings to start his outing. Merrimack scored once in the top of the first to give its starter a lead; Porricelli and Nelson hit consecutive singles to start the game, and the former scored from second base on a grounder to third when an errant throw in the infield allowed him to take an extra base
- Merrimack's lead remained at 1-0 in the top of the fifth when Porricelli hit a one-out double. The team's leadoff hitter was left stranded there, however. Classmate Thomas Joyce also hit a one-out two-bagger in the sixth, but the Warriors were unable to score then too. Villella kept dealing though, sitting down Bryant in order in each inning to keep the score at 1-0
- Bryant finally scored off Villella in the seventh. A leadoff walk followed by a double created the game-tying run. The hosts then tacked on four more, including a two-RBIÂ single, to own a 5-1 advantage
Notes and Notables (Game 1):
- WP – Schoff (5-1) | LP – Sorenson (4-3) | S: Wainer (1)
- Junior Michael Golankiewicz hit a first-inning double, extending his hitting streak to six games
- Porricelli recorded his fourth multi-RBI game of the season
- Nelson's double was his third over his last five games
Notes and Notables (Game 2)
- WP – Morgese (3-2) | LP – Villella (1-3)
- Porricelli led Merrimack with three hits while Joyce added a pair of base knocks
- The former now leads the team with his third three-hit game of the season and 10th multi-hit game overall
- Sophomore Justin Butera pitched a perfect eighth inning in relief of Villella. He's allowed one run over his last six relief appearances
Up Next
The Warriors host their final NEC series of the season next weekend when the Warriors welcome Sacred Heart University to Warrior Diamond for a three-game set beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
