STONEHILL BASEBALL
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Gorman Field, Easton, Mass.
FINAL: MERRIMACK 9, STONEHILL 4
123 456 789 R H E
Merrimack (4-10, 1-2 Northeast-10) 140 000 103 - 9 8 2
Stonehill (7-12, 1-6 Northeast-10) 220 000 000 - 4 3 2
BATTERIES
MER: Mike Chandler, Eric Malinowski (9) and Rob McCarthy
STO: Mat Lindenmayer, Justin Perry (2), Joe SantaBarbara (9) and Matt Orr
WP: Chandler (2-1) LP: Lindenmayer (2-2)
EASTON, Mass.-- Sophomore Jeff Bercume (Leicester, Mass.) rapped out three hits and drove in three runs to lead Merrimack to a 9-4 Northeast-10 Conference baseball victory over Stonehill Saturday afternoon at Gorman Field.
The two teams combined for nine runs in the first two innings of play alone, as the visiting Warriors (4-10, 1-2 Northeast-10) took a 1-0 first inning lead on a sacrifice fly by freshman Rory Gentile (Gloucester, Mass.) only to see the host Skyhawks (7-12, 1-6 Northeast-10) grab a 2-1 edge in the bottom of the frame when junior David Fradette (Goffstown, N.H.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and senior Blake Marston (Concord, N.H.) drew a bases loaded walk. Bercume's two-out three run single gave Merrimack the lead for good in the top of the second and was followed by an RBI single off the bat of junior Ryan Shepard (Andover, Mass.), but Stonehill closed back to within a run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by senior Max Vigliotti (Stamford, Conn.) and Fradette's sacrifice fly. That score would hold until the seventh when the Warriors plated an unearned run on a double steal, and the visitors tacked on three insurance tallies in the ninth on an error as well as back-to-back RBI doubles by Shepard and Gentile.
Shepard joined Bercume with three hits as part of an eight-hit attack for Merrimack, as junior Mike Chandler (Hamilton, Mass.) overcame a shaky start and seven walks by not allowing a hit after the second inning, as he went eight and fanned six to improve to 2-1 for the Warriors. Senior Matt Vaughn (Bow, N.H.) collected two hits in the setback for Stonehill, as junior Mat Lindenmayer (Penfield, N.Y.) took the loss on the mound for the Skyhawks to fall to 2-2 on the spring. Sophomore Justin Perry (Wilbraham, Mass.) turned in a solid relief effort for the hosts, allowing one earned run and fanning eight over 6 2/3 innings of work.
Stonehill and Merrimack meet again tomorrow afternoon in a Northeast-10 twinbill at Warrior Field in North Andover, Mass. beginning at Noon.