CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Four Games, Four Upsets in NE10 Baseball Quarterfinals.
#4 SW SCSU 9, #1 SW Adelphi 6 - Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – The Southern Connecticut State baseball team upset Northeast 10 Southwest Division top seed Adelphi, 9-6, in the first round of the 2019 NE10 Baseball Tournament in Garden City, N.Y. The Owls' win ends a five-game losing streak in the NE10 Tournament and gives them their first tournament win since 2011.
Jim Palmer was 5-for-6 with two runs scored while Mac Finnegan drove-in the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th to lead the Owls. Tyler Criscuolo was 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI while Mike DeMartino and Nolan Cloutier also homered for the Owls. DeMartinodrove in three runs on the day.
Quantique White picked up the win after throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out two. Jared Henry gave up one run on four hits over three innings.
#4 NE Franklin Pierce 3, #1 NE SNHU 2 - Box Score
MANCHESTER, N.H. – For the third straight game, the Franklin Pierce baseball team needed a win to extend its season. For the third straight game, the Ravens got it, this time in the form of a 3-2 win on the road at rival Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday afternoon, in the first round of the Northeast 10 Conference Championship. Freshman Danny Gracia, senior Evan Glew and senior Zach Hart combined to throw a six-hitter, while junior catcher Dylan Jones provided a key solo home run for the fourth-seeded Ravens at Penmen Field.
With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 24-21, and advances to the double-elimination, weekend portion of the NE10 Championship, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday. With the loss, Southern New Hampshire – the Northeast Division's top seed – falls to 36-12 and is eliminated, though the Penmen are expected to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship, which begins next week.
Franklin Pierce will open the double-elimination portion of the NE10 Championship against Le Moyne, the third seed out of the Southwest Division, which defeated second-seeded Pace in a first round contest on Tuesday, 2-1. Stay tuned for weather-related updates on the weekend.
#3 SW Le Moyne 2, #2 SW Pace 1 - Box Score
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – In the first round of the 2019 Northeast 10 Conference Championship Tournament, the Pace baseball team was defeated by Le Moyne on Tuesday afternoon, 2-1. The loss puts the Setters' overall record this season at 31-15.
In a pitcher's duel between two of the top hurlers in the NE10, it was Le Moyne's Ryan Murphy who claimed victory. The sophomore allowed just the one unearned run on seven hits in a complete-game triumph.
Pace's starter Dan Wirchansky also pitched well on Tuesday, yielding just two runs in eight innings of action. He finished with five strikeouts to raise his total to 102 this season, which is the most in school history.
#3 NE Merrimack 6, #2 Bentley 5 - Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – After the Bentley Falcons scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to draw within one, Merrimack junior first baseman Thomas Joyce snared a line drive for the final out and a 6-5 win over the second-seeded Falcons in the opening round of the Northeast 10 Conference baseball championships Tuesday afternoon at DeFelice Field.
Bentley, which had a seven-game winning streak snapped, finished the season at 21-21. Meanwhile, third-seeded Merrimack (26-18) will advance to the double-elimination portion of the championships, beginning Thursday.
The Falcons entered their final at bat looking at a 6-2 deficit after Merrimack had taken control with a four-run sixth inning. Senior right fielder Gino Fordiani opened the ninth with a single to right, driving Merrimack starter and Bentley nemesis Cam Monagle (Cambridge) from the game.
After reliever Trevor Cooley retired the first two batters he faced and with Fordiani on second after a wild pitch, junior center fielder Max Troiani grounded to short. The ball was misplayed, allowing Fordiani to score and Troiani to take his place on second. Junior third baseman Jake Pierce doubled down the left field line, driving in Troiani to make it a two-run game.
That gave graduate second baseman Mike Samko another chance to reach the 200 career hit mark and his time he reached the milestone, in which proved to be his final career at bat. Samko, 0-for-4 at the time, singled to center on an 0-2 pitch to not only score Pierce with the Falcons' fifth run but to become the seventh player in program history to reach 200.
Junior first baseman Ryan Berardino followed and lined the second pitch he saw right down the line, but the likely game-tying double was pulled in by Joyce for the game's final out.
Two-run single by Mac Finnegan gives @SCSU_BASEBALL a 8-6 lead in the T9 pic.twitter.com/BPrBg3yhUh
— SCSU Athletics (@SCSU_Owls) May 7, 2019
2019 NE10 Baseball Championship
Tuesday, May 7th – First Round (single elimination)
Game 1: #4 SW Southern Connecticut 9, #1 SW Adelphi 6
Game 2: #3 SW Le Moyne 2, #2 SW Pace 1
Game 3: #4 NE Franklin Pierce 3, #1 NE SNHU 2
Game 4: #3 NE Merrimack 6, #2 NE Bentley 5
Thursday, May 9th, Friday, May 10th and Saturday, May 11th (Hosted by Le Moyne at Onondaga Community College)
Game 5: #4 SW Southern Connecticut vs. #3 NE Merrimack - 10 a.m.
Game 6: #3 SW Le Moyne vs. #4 NE Franklin Pierce - 1:30 p.m.
Game 7: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser
Game 10: Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 winner
Game 11: If necessary.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.