WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY – The Merrimack College Baseball team lost their first game of the NEC Championship to FDU but was able to win an elimination game versus Delaware State. They will move on to play in another win or go home game on Thursday.
Score:
Game 1: Merrimack 7, FDU 9
Game 2: Merrimack 11, Delaware State 1
Records: Merrimack (31-25, 22-11) | FDU (26-28, 18-14) | Delaware State (22-27, 17-14)
Rapid Recap
Merrimack had swept the regular season series versus the FDU Knights but they would be going up against their ace who made All-NEC First Team. The Warriors would struggle to get the bat to the ball and FDU was able to find it early on.
Andrew Heffernan got roughed up in the early stages giving up six runs scattered across the first and third innings. Merrimack got one run back in the bottom of the third off of a wild pitch. Scoring went silent until the 6th inning when FDU sent another run across to make it a 7-1 ball game. In the home half of the sixth the Warriors scored another off of an error. No scoring followed in the seventh but in the 8th, Merrimack turned up the dial.
Frankie Ferrentino got aboard and
Braydon Dolbashian would hammer in a two run shot to draw closer at 7-4. A
Christian Scanlon triple would score
Matthew Chatelle and
Cavan Brady followed it up with a sac fly. All of the sudden it was a 7-6 game heading into the ninth. The Knights would score two runs in their half of the ninth that would prove critical. Merrimack was only able to muster up one run on a
Frankie Ferrentino homer and would go on to lose 9-7, paving the way for an elimination game.
In the second game, Merrimack would go on to square off with Delaware State who had both the Player and Pitcher of The Year on their squad. The Warriors had been swept at home by the Hornets earlier in the year and with their season on the line seeked revenge.
Brayden Ryan started on the mound for Merrimack and was able to mitigate damage with some out of this world defensive plays behind him.
Cavan Brady would double in the first run of the night in which Delaware State quickly responded just a half inning later. The Warriors scored a run each in the 3rd and fourth to make it 3-1. In the sixth inning
Christian Gemelli walked with the bases loaded to score a run and
Frankie Ferrentino would follow it up with a bloop single to score another pair. The lead would grow to 6-1. In the seventh the bases became loaded once again for Merrimack and with 2 outs
Dawson Bryce hit a clutch double down the left field line that cleared the bases to give his team a 9-1 advantage.
Campbell Cassidy would come in on the mound and hold it down after the departure of
Brayden Ryan.
Braydon Dolbashian would put the finishing touches on the ball game with an 8th inning two run moonshot to send Merrimack into the night victorious. The Warriors will play for their season tomorrow with their opponent to be determined.
Notes and Numbers
On Deck
The Warriors will play again tomorrow at 7:00 PM with their opponent to be decided.
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