Le Moyne and Merrimack in Winner's Bracket After Day One.
#3 NE Merrimack 8, #4 SW SCSU 1 - Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Sophomore starter Vin Zappulla delivered a marvelous eight-inning outing for the Merrimack College baseball program on Thursday, striking out a career-high 10 batters as he limited the Southern Connecticut State Owls' second-ranked offense in the Northeast-10 Conference to just one run. As a resuly, the Warriors opened NE10 Championship Weekend with an 8-1 triumph over SCSU to advance into the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
Third-seeded Merrimack now awaits the victor of fellow No. 3 seed Le Moyne and fourth-seeded Franklin Pierce in its next game, which is currently scheduled for tomorrow. An exact game time will be announced later today. Thursday's tilts as well as the remainder of the tournament will be played at Onondaga Community College's Baseball Complex in Syracuse, N.Y.
Zappulla blanked Southern Connecticut over the first five innings, allowing Merrimack's bats to build a 4-0 lead that included the ninth homer of the season for junior Joey Porricelli, the NE10's Co-Player of the Year. Merrimack scored at least one run in seven of its eight turns to hit, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance with two runs scored and one RBI for freshman Kurtis Stadnicki.
#3 SW Le Moyne 16, #4 NE Franklin Pierce 2 - Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It will be back to a win-or-go-home scenario for the Franklin Pierce baseball team for the rest of the weekend. The Ravens scored first on Thursday afternoon at Onondaga Baseball Complex, but then surrendered the next 16 runs to host Le Moyne as part of a 16-2 loss to open the double-elimination portion of the Northeast-10 Conference Championship.
With the loss, Franklin Pierce – the fourth seed out of the Northeast Division – falls to 24-22, while Le Moyne – the Southwest Division's third seed – improves to 24-23. Freshman Nick Nevins led the Dolphins at the plate, going 3-for-6 with five RBI and two runs scored.
The Ravens will face elimination almost immediately, as they will square off with Southwest Division's fourth seed, Southern Connecticut State, at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Owls were defeated earlier Thursday by Merrimack, 8-1. Meanwhile, Le Moyne and Merrimack will meet in a winner's bracket game, currently scheduled for noon on Friday.
#4 NE Franklin Pierce 9, #4 SW SCSU 5 - Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In a back-and-forth affair, the Franklin Pierce baseball team did enough to stave off elimination on Thursday evening at the NE10 Championship, hosted by Le Moyne. The Ravens outlasted Southern Connecticut State, 9-5, as both teams piled up double-digit hits in the contest. Franklin Pierce took the lead for good on a three-run home run to left by senior designated hitter Ural Forbes in the bottom of the fifth inning.
With the win, Franklin Pierce – the fourth seed out of the Northeast Division – improves to 25-22, while Southern Connecticut State – the Southwest Division's fourth seed – sees its season come to a close at 20-28.
Franklin Pierce survives for another day and will face elimination again at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The Ravens will face off with the loser of Friday's first game, set for a noon start, which features Merrimack and Le Moyne.
In Division 2, @MerrimackBSB sits just two wins away from defending its @TheNortheast10 title, already off to a 1-0 start on championship weekend with @SCSU_BASEBALL, @FPUBaseball1 and host @LeMoyneBaseball. https://t.co/Olnfkaf50n pic.twitter.com/sK5vkGokWT
— NE Baseball Journal (@NE_Baseball) May 9, 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 (Hosted by Le Moyne at Onondaga Community College)
Game 5: #3 NE Merrimack 8, #4 SW Southern Connecticut 1
Game 6: #3 SW Le Moyne 16, #4 NE Franklin Pierce 2
Game 7: #4 NE Franklin Pierce 9, #4 SW Southern Connecticut 5
Friday, May 10th
Game 8: #3 NE Merrimack vs. #3 SW Le Moyne - 3:30 p.m.
Game 9: #4 NE Franklin Pierce vs. Game 8 loser - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 11th
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.