Pleasantville, N.Y. – Sophomore third baseman Nicholas Jacques (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa) registered a two-out, two-run single to lead the third-seeded Le Moyne College baseball team to a 3-2 victory over sixth-seeded Merrimack College in the first round of the NCAA Championships East Regional on Thursday at Pace University's Finnerty Field.

With the victory, Le Moyne's first in the first round since 1989, the Dolphins advance into the winner's bracket to face either second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College or seventh-seeded Wilmington University on Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Merrimack took advantage of a Le Moyne error in the third inning to score the game's first run. Third baseman Joey Porricelli drew a walk with one out and advanced to third on a throwing error by the pitcher on a pickoff attempt. Center fielder Tyler Lyne then singled to left field to drive in Porricelli.

The Dolphins answered with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the third. Senior center fielder Timothy Corapi (Liverpool, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) led off with a single to left and moved to second on a one-out walk by redshirt junior first baseman Andrew Taft (Clinton, N.Y./Clinton/Buffalo). Junior catcher Camillo Spinoso (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/George Washington) followed with a single to left to plate Corapi. After a single to right by redshirt junior shortstop Ben Walsh (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) to load the bases and a pop out, Jacques singled to center to knock home Taft and Spinoso to take the lead.

The Warriors pulled within one with a run in the top of the sixth inning. To start the inning, Lyne tripled to right center and scored on an error on the play by the shortstop. After a ground-rule double by the next batter, the next three hitters were retired to end the frame.

Merrimack went down in order in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to close out the game.

Junior righty Josiah Gray (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) earned his 11th victory of the season after striking out nine batters, while yielding just the two runs (one earned) and three hits. He is the first Dolphin to win 11 games in a season since Joseph Abone '79 (13-3) and Tom Fletcher '79 (12-2) both did so in 1979. With his nine strikeouts, Gray ties Damian Powers '17 for the second-most in a season in the program's history with 105. Spinoso and Walsh each had two of Le Moyne's seven hits. PJ Browne took the loss for the Warriors after allowing three runs and seven hits over eight innings, while striking out eight.