North Andover, Mass. – The Le Moyne College baseball team exploded for 14 runs in the seventh inning en route to an 18-4 win over Merrimack College in the first game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Warrior Diamond. The Warriors registered a 14-7 victory in the nightcap.
After five scoreless innings in the opening game, the Dolphins scored four times on five hits in the sixth inning. Junior center fielder Jeremy Mathers (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger/Onondaga C.C.), sophomore second baseman Brett Charbonneau (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) and sophomore shortstop Dylan Swetman (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) started the inning with consecutive singles to load the bases. Sophomore first baseman Pat Wright (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) then singled to left center to drive in Mathers. Sophomore right fielder Trey West (Fairport, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) followed with a groundout to the second baseman to knock in Charbonneau, while Swetman then scored on a sacrifice fly by senior left fielder Nate Reynolds (Johnson City, N.Y./Maine-Endwell). Freshman designated hitter Tyler Piasecki (Buffalo, N.Y./Williamsville South) then singled up the middle to plate Wright.
The Warriors answered back with four runs on two hits in the bottom of the sixth. Shortstop Mike Forgione and third baseman Frank Crinella opened the frame with back-to-back walks and then they each moved up a base on a wild pitch. Designated hitter Cam DiSarcina followed with a double to drive in Forgione and Crinella and force a Le Moyne pitching change. First baseman Matt Brown greeted junior righty Conor Nolan (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) with a double to plate DiSarcina. After a groundout, left fielder Ryan Petrone lifted a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Brown with the tying run.
Le Moyne regained the lead with 14 runs on nine hits in the top of the seventh inning. The 14 runs are the most in an inning by the Dolphins since scoring 14 in the fifth inning of a 29-7 victory at Saint Peter's April 12, 2008. After Mathers was hit by a pitch and Charbonneau singled to right to start the inning, Swetman drew a walk with Mathers scoring on a passed ball on ball four. Following a walk by Wright to load the bases, West and Reynolds recorded back-to-back singles to plate Charbonneau and Swetman. Piasecki then doubled to right center to knock in Wright and West. Freshman catcher Matt Buroni (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) followed with a single to center to plate Reynolds. After the first out of the inning, Mathers singled to center to drive in Piasecki with the seventh run of the inning. Following a walk by Charbonneau to load the bases again, Swetman drove in Buroni with a single, while Mathers was forced home on a walk by Wright. After West doubled to drive in Charbonneau and Swetman, Reynolds blasted a three-run homer for the final runs of the frame.
Nolan earned the win out of the bullpen after striking out three batters over four innings, while yielding one run on three hits. Charbonneau and Reynolds led Le Moyne's 18-hit attack with three hits each, while Mathers, Swetman, Wright, West and Piasecki each had two hits. Reynolds drove in five runs, while West knocked in four. Mathers, Charbonneau, Swetman and Wright each scored three times, while West and Reynolds crossed the plate twice. Matt Solar took the loss for the Warriors after giving up three runs (two earned) without recording an out in the seventh inning.
In the nightcap, the Dolphins struck for two runs on one hit in the top of the first inning. Mathers opened the game by drawing a walk, stole second and then scored on a double by Charbonneau. Swetman then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to knock in Charbonneau.
Merrimack evened the score at two apiece with a pair of runs on two hits in the second inning. Brown led off with a double to left center and then took third on a single up the middle by second baseman Eddie Newton. Petrone then grounded out to the first baseman to knock in Brown. After Newton stole third, he scored on a groundout by center fielder Bobby Losanno.
The Dolphins regained the lead with two runs on two hits and one Merrimack error in the top of the third. Charbonneau singled to open the frame and then stole second base. Swetman followed by reaching second on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder, which allowed Charbonneau to advance to third. After an out, West singled to right center to drive in Charbonneau and Swetman.
The Warriors tied the score again with two runs on one hit and a Le Moyne error in the bottom of the inning. Catcher Pat Florence drew a walk to open the frame, but was retired at second as Forgione reached on a fielder's choice. After Crinella reached second on an error by the third baseman, DiSarcina doubled to center to knock in Forgione and Crinella.
Merrimack took the lead with one run on two hits in the fifth inning. Crinella led off with a single up middle, took second on a groundout and then scored on a single to left field by Brown.
The Warriors added three runs on just one hit and a Le Moyne error in the seventh inning. They loaded the bases on a pair of one-out walks by Losanno and Florence around an error that allowed designated hitter Chris Cimmino to reach first. Following a Le Moyne pitching change, Forgione reached on a fielder's choice to drive in Losanno. Crinella then tripled to right center to plate Cimmino and Forgione.
Merrimack tacked on one run on two hits in the seventh. Brown led off with single to the shortstop, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on a double to right center by Petrone.
The Warriors finished off their scoring with five runs on five hits and three Le Moyne errors in the eighth inning. Florence opened the frame with a single to left center and then scored on an error by the third baseman as Forgione singled. Crinella then doubled to left field to drive in Forgione. After DiSarcina reached on an error by the shortstop and then stole second, Brown singled to center to plate Crinella and DiSarcina. Following a pair of outs around a single by Petrone, Brown scored on a passed ball to make the score 14-4.
The Dolphins scored three times on four hits in the top of the ninth, but could not cut into their deficit any further. Freshman pinch-hitter Austin Bouse (Clinton, N.Y./Clinton) led off with a double to left field. After an out, redshirt freshman pinch-hitter Ryan O'Kane (Memphis, N.Y./Bishop Ludden) singled in his first career plate appearance to push Bouse to third. Wright followed with a single to right field to knock in Bouse. Following an out, Reynolds doubled to drive in O'Kane and Wright with the final runs of the day.
Junior John Mildner (Newton, Mass./Catholic Memorial/UMass) took the loss after yielding eight runs (four earned) on five hits in five and one-third innings pitched. Charbonneau, Wright and West each recorded two of Le Moyne's 10 hits. Zach Schindler earned the win for the Warriors after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits over five innings on the mound.
Le Moyne (9-15, 3-2 NE-10) opens its home schedule on Tuesday with a doubleheader against East Stroudsburg University at 2:00 p.m.
