PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. – The Merrimack College baseball team ventured down to Port Charlotte to play four-games in the Snowbird Classic. On Saturday the squad earned their first two wins of the season against St. Bonaventure by the score of 5-2 and 9-1. In game one
Michael Golankiewicz hit his first homerun of the season to tie the game up and get the Warriors on the board.
Aidan Hawley added a single up the middle to give Merrimack the lead an they did not look back from there. In game two of the afternoon the Warriors jumped out to an early lead in the first and did not look back, scoring nine unanswered runs. Golankiewicz finished with a team-high three RBI's.
Cedric Gillette pitched a solid six innings, giving up just one run on six hits. Merrimack battled with Northeastern on Sunday morning for its fourth and final game in the Sunshine State. The Warriors lost 11-1. Bryant Skrube had the lone RBI for Merrimack in the loss.
The Basics
Score G1: Merrimack 5, St. Bonaventure 2
Score G2: Merrimack 9, St. Bonaventure 1
Score G3: Merrimack 1, Northeastern 11
Records: Merrimack (2-2) | St. Bonaventure (0-3) | Northeastern (3-5)
Location: Port Charlotte, Fla. | Centennial Park
Rapid Recap (Game 1)
- Vin Zappulla started on the mound for the Warriors. The Bonnies jumped out to a two-run lead after a homerun. Only one run was earned after a Merrimack fielding error. Alex Haba opened the bottom half of the first with a single. Golankiewicz was hit by a pitch, which put runners on first and second with no outs. The Warriors then went down in order and failed to get a run across home plate. Zappulla put St. Bonaventure down in order in the second. Braydon Dolbashian singled with two outs in the second, but was caught stealing to end the inning. In the third, Merrimack got on the board after a home run by Golankiewicz. Skurbe followed the bomb up with a double. Hawley singled and scored Skrube, giving the Warriors their first lead of the afternoon.
- The Warriors added two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Scott Elliott doubled with one out. Haba then knocked him in with a single. With the bases loaded Kurtis Stadnicki was hit by a pitch, giving him an RBI. Merrimack took a 5-2 advantage and did not look back from there.
Top Performers // Notes (Game 1)
- WP: Zappulla (1-0) | LP: Hediger (0-1)
- Zappulla pitched five strong giving up just two runs (zero earned) on four hits while striking out seven.
- Damon Fuller earned his first save of the season after pitching two innings and not allowing a hit.
- Head coach Brian Murphy earned his first win as head coach of the Warriors.
Rapid Recap (Game 2)
- Skrube got Merrimack rolling right out of the gate after an RBI single. Both Haba and Golankiewicz walked to set up the scoring opportunity for Skrube with no outs. Gillette got the Bonnies to go down in order in the first. In the second, Golankiewicz added to his stellar day by ripping a double and by doing so, added two runs to the Merrimack total. Gillette got out of a two runner on jam in the second, to keep the advantage three. The Warriors added six runs in the top half of the third. Ben Nelson had a two RBI single that scored Jake Macchi who walked and Thomas Crowley who singled earlier in the inning. Haba then doubled home Nelson and Andrew Selima to increase the lead to seven. Golankiewicz flew out to center, but scored the runner from third. Skrube singled and scored Haba. Merrimack's lead was nine heading into the bottom half of the third. Gillette continued to roll in the third.
- In the top of the sixth Macchi singled with two outs, but failed to leave first. The Bonnies got their first run of the afternoon after a triple and single on back-to-back at bats. Christian Gemelli singled in the top of the seventh, but could not get home after a lineout by Golankiewicz to end the inning. LT Pare entered for the Warriors in the seventh, allowed two hits, but did not let anyone cross the plate, which ended the game.
Top Performers // Notes (Game 2)
- WP: Gillette (1-0) | LP: Caringi (0-1)
- The Warriors scored nine runs on nine hits, which is their highest run total so far in the early season.
- Golankiewicz had five RBI's in the two victories against St. Bonaventure.
- Skrube led the Warriors with two hits on the afternoon.
Rapid Recap (Game 3)
- In the first, Northeastern left a runner on third after Merrimack starter Wyatt Villella struck out two straight batters to end the inning. The Warriors left a runner on first after a Golankiewicz walk. Villella let up a hit in the second, but did not left the runner get past first. In the bottom half of inning number two, Nelson doubled to center and advanced to third on a passed ball, but could not score, keeping to score tied at zero. Elliott singled to start the third. Haba then walked, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Unfortunately, the Warriors struck out twice to end the inning.
- Northeastern scored three runs in the fourth to take their first lead of the game. Dolbashian singled in the bottom half of the fifth, but was picked off at first, squandering any Merrimack scoring opportunity. In the sixth, the Warriors finally got on the board after a Haba single to start off the inning. He advanced to second on a passed ball. Golankiewicz grounded out, putting Haba on third with one out. Skrube grounded out to the left side of the infield, which was good enough to score Haba from third. The Huskies added eight runs in the seventh to take a 11-1 lead.
Top Performers // Notes (Game 3
- WP: Scotti (2-0) | LP: Villella (0-1)
- Haba continued his hot hitting with a single and run scored against Northeastern.
- Haba also stole the only base for the Warriors in the loss.
- The Warriors move to 2-2 on the season. The squad will meet Northeastern again later in the season back in Boston.
Up Next:
The Warriors get back to action next Thursday when they head down to Texas to take on Texas Tech in a four-game series.
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