Hooksett, N.H. – Daniel Amidon struck out eight over five and one-third innings out of the bullpen to lead Merrimack College to a 9-6 victory over the #20/NR Le Moyne College baseball team in the first game of Northeast-10 Conference Championship Weekend on Thursday afternoon at Southern New Hampshire University's Penmen Field.
 
With the loss, the Dolphins fall into the loser's bracket and will take on Southern New Hampshire University in an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. The winner of that contest will advance to another elimination contest scheduled for 5:00 p.m. against the loser of the 2:00 p.m. winner's bracket game between Merrimack and the University of New Haven, which advanced to the winner's bracket with a 5-3 win over Southern New Hampshire.

Merrimack, the third seed in the Northeast Division, opened the game's scoring with two runs on three hits in the first inning. Third baseman Joey Porricelli led off with a single to left and then stole second. Center fielder Tyler Lyne followed with a single to second and stole second. Designated hitter Matthew Ronai then lifted a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Porricelli. Right fielder Matt Nicholson then doubled to center to plate Lyne.

The Dolphins, the top seed in the Southwest Division, got one run back in the bottom of the first. Senior right fielder Brian Cox (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) doubled to left center to start the frame, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single up the middle by junior designated hitter Nick Place (Towanda, Pa./Towanda).

Le Moyne took the lead in the third inning with two runs on two hits. Cox was hit by a pitch to start the frame and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After moving to third on a single to center by redshirt junior first baseman Andrew Taft (Clinton, N.Y./Clinton/Buffalo), Cox scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Place. Following a fly out and walk, sophomore third baseman Nicholas Jacques (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa) singled to left center to knock in Taft from second. Redshirt freshman second baseman Brian O'Mara (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) then walked to load the bases, but they were left loaded for the first of three times in the game.

Merrimack answered back with three runs in the fourth to regain the lead. Catcher Ricky Smith was hit by the first pitch of the inning and then took second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Porricelli doubled to left field to plate Smith. Lyne then singled off the pitcher's glove and stole second. Ronai followed with a single to center to drive in Porricelli and Lyne.

The Dolphins countered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to knot the score at five. Cox walked with one out and moved to second on a single through the left side by Taft. After Place walked on four pitches to load the bases, redshirt junior shortstop Ben Walsh (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) singled through the left side to knock in Cox. Following a pitching change, junior catcher Camillo Spinoso (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/George Washington) singled to center to drive in Taft with the tying run. The next two batters struck out as the bases were left loaded for the second straight inning.

The Warriors took advantage of a Le Moyne error in the sixth inning to take the lead for good. With two outs, Porricelli reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and then stole second. Lyne followed with a double off the left fielder's glove to knock in Porricelli.

Le Moyne loaded the bases via three walks around a strikeout in the bottom of the sixth, but a pop out and a strikeout ended the frame without the tying run able to score.

In the seventh, the Dolphins had runners on second and third with one out following a sacrifice bunt by Cox, but the third baseman made a diving stop behind the bag and successful throw to first to retire Taft and the ensuing batter struck out to end the threat.

Merrimack extended its lead to two in the eighth with an unearned run. Second baseman Anthony Garbarino led off with a single to right center and moved around to third on a pair of groundouts. He then scored on a passed ball.

The Warriors completed their scoring with two runs in the ninth on two hits. Ronai led off with a broken-bat single through the left side and Nicholson followed with another single through the left side. After first baseman Thomas Joyce was hit by a pitch to load the bases, left fielder Cory Wasylow walked on four pitches to force in Ronai. After a groundout retired Nicholson at the plate, Garbarino lifted a sac fly to right to drive in Joyce.

The Dolphins scored once in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate, but could not complete the comeback. Freshman pinch-hitter Jeff Wilson (Rochester, N.Y./Greece-Odyssey) walked on four pitches to start the frame and took second on a wild pitch. Following a groundout and a strikeout, Cox singled to left to score Wilson from third. Taft then walked to force a pitching change and bring the tying run to the plate, but the reliever induced a pop out to the first baseman to end the game.

Freshman righty Ryan Murphy (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) suffered his first loss since March 4 after allowing six runs (five earned) and 11 hits over six innings, while striking out eight. Cox and Taft each had two of Le Moyne's nine hits, while Cox scored three times and Taft scored twice. With his three runs, Cox has now scored 61 times this season, which is tied with Carmen Vecchio's total in 1979 for the second-most in a season in the program's history and is three behind the record set by David Smith in 1993. Amidon worked around seven walks and just two hits to earn his fourth win of the season. PJ Browne picked up his second save of the year after retiring the only batter he faced.