Baseball

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, 2013

New Haven, Le Moyne, Bentley and Merrimack earn do-or-die
victories Tuesday to advance to four-team, double-elimination round 

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – First-round action got underway Tuesday afternoon in the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Baseball Championship, as the University of New Haven, the top seed in the Southwest Division, earned a 5-0 victory over fourth-seeded Adelphi University.

Chargers starting pitcher Pat Simone (pictured) threw six shutout innings in the win, and as a result, New Haven will host Championship Weekend beginning Thursday.

In the other Southwest Division first-round matchup between third-seeded Le Moyne College and second-seeded Pace University, the defending Northeast-10 Champion Dolphins scored three times in the seventh and twice more in the eighth en route to a 7-4 come-from-behind win on the road at Pace.

In the first Northeast Division matchup, second-seeded Bentley University scored twice in the ninth to walk off with a 3-2 victory over third-seeded Southern New Hampshire University.

The fourth and final first-round contest took place tonight at 7:00 p.m., as top-seeded Franklin Pierce University from the Northeast Division was upset by fourth-seeded Merrimack College, 4-1.

Host New Haven will take on Bentley at 12:00 p.m. at Frank Vieira Field on the campus of New Haven. Le Moyne and Merrimack will also get underway at 12:00 p.m. across town on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University.

#1 SW New Haven 5, #4 SW Adelphi 0 – BOX
WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The Chargers cruised to a 5-0 victory Tuesday after three New Haven pitchers combined to three-hit Adelphi. Simone got the start for the Southwest's top seed, striking out three while allowing just two singles over six scoreless innings. Relievers John Melville and Peter Jay combined to strike out six and allow just one hit over the final three frames.

Second baseman Andrew Johnson plated the game's first run in the second on a sac fly, and later added a two-run single in a four-run fifth inning. Centerfielder Brendan O'Reilly and leftfielder Kyle Cullen both had two hits and a run scored in the victory,

Adelphi starter Stephen Bove exited after allowing five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings. 

#3 SW Le Moyne 7, #2 SW Pace 4 – BOX
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Pace owned a 4-2 advantage after six innings on Tuesday before the Dolphins scored five times in the seventh and eighth for the comeback win. Le Moyne (24-22), last year's Northeast-10 Champions in its first year reclassifying from the Division I level, saw starting pitcher Ryan Davis go the distance, as the righthander allowed four runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts.

Pace fell to 32-15 on the year with the first-round loss, and now awaits a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Championship field. The Setters were ranked fourth in the most recent edition of the NCAA East Regional rankings.

Down a pair entering the seventh, Le Moyne plated a run on an error before third baseman Zach Wiley and rightfielder Kody O'Connor delivered RBI singles for a 5-4 lead. The Dolphins went on to add two more in the eighth on second baseman's Vincent Redmond's two-run single.

Wiley, O'Connor and Redmond all had three-hit performances, while designated hitter Matthew Ciriaco, centerfielder Pat Wiese and catcher Brian Stinson had two hits apiece.

Pace catcher Joe Solomeno was 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored in the loss. His two-run double in the third gave Pace a 3-0 lead, and his sixth-inning solo shot at the time extended the Setters' lead to 4-2.

Pace starter Michael Tamburino delivered a quality start in Tuesday's elimination contests, allowing two earned on six hits with six strikeouts and four walks over five innings.

#2 NE Bentley 3, #3 So. New Hampshire 2 – BOX
WALTHAM, Mass. – So. New Hampshire owned a 2-1 lead behind righthander Junior Mendez entering the ninth on Tuesday afternoon before dramatics by Bentley ensued.

In the ninth, Mendez issued a one-out walk to second baseman Logan Gillis before moving up on a wild pitch. Then after catcher Kevin Korwek reached on an error, a bloop single by shortstop Will Brennan tied it up. Third baseman Nate Witkowski followed with the game-winning single off Penmen reliever Alex Powers to take down the Penmen, who advanced to the College World Series last year.

So. New Hampshire (33-17), ranked second in the latest East Regional rankings, now awaits a possible at-large berth to NCAAs, while Bentley improved to 27-20.

Mendez fell to 8-3 on the mound with the loss after allowing three runs – two earned – on five hits with 11 strikeouts over 8.1 innings of work.

All nine Penmen starters had exactly one hit in the loss, with second baseman Jamie Wollerman delivering a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth.

Centerfielder Sean Keady and Brennan both had two hits apiece for Bentley in the win, while starter John Yohe struck out five and allowed just one run on six hits over seven innings. Lamarre Rey got the win in relief after allowing a run on four hits over two frames.

#4 NE Merrimack 4, #1 NE Franklin Pierce 1 – BOX
RINDGE, N.H. – Behind starting pitcher Alek Morency, who allowed one run (none earned) on five hits with six strikeouts over nine innings of work, Merrimack upset top-seeded Franklin Pierce on the road Tuesday night to cement its spot in Championship Weekend.

The Warriors scored once in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, while the Ravens mustered their only run on an RBI groundout by Marty Dunlap in the fourth.

Merrimack third baseman Eddie Newton and shortstop Mike Forgione both went 2-for-3 with a run scored in the win.

Franklin Pierce starter and Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Year Trevor Graham allowed four runs – three earned – on six hits over six innings. 

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes. 

2013 Northeast-10 Baseball Championship Schedule/Results
Tuesday, May 7 - First Round | RECAP
Game 1: #4 NE Merrimack 4, #1 NE Franklin Pierce 1 | BOX
Game 2: #2 NE Bentley 3, #3 NE So. New Hampshire 2 | BOX
Game 3: #1 SW New Haven 5,#4 SW Adelphi 0 | BOX
Game 4: #3 SW Le Moyne 7, #2 SW Pace 4 | BOX

Championship Weekend (Hosted by New Haven)
Thursday, May 9
Game 5: New Haven vs. Bentley – 12:00 p.m. (at New Haven)
Game 6: Le Moyne vs. Merrimack – 12:00 p.m. (at Southern Connecticut)

*All games will be played at the posted start time or 35 minutes after the game before, whichever is later.

– #NE10 –