ALBANY – The College of Saint Rose baseball team overcame a 9-1 deficit by plating 12 runs throughout the final three innings en route to a 13-11 non-conference victory against visiting Merrimack College at Bleecker Stadium this afternoon. The Warriors walked away with a 2-1 decision in a Northeast-10 Conference contest earlier on “Senior Day”.
The Warriors (16-24/7-16 NE-10) got both runs in the third inning of the opener, which proved to be enough run support for junior right-hander Ryan Mcneil. Mcneil improved to 5-2 on the year after scattering seven hits over the distance. After surrendering a single to start the game and walking the next batter, Mcneil retired 12 straight at one point to cruise through the early innings.
Saint Rose cut its 2-0 deficit in half in the seventh when junior left fielder
Jake Perez deposited a solo shot over the left field wall. Senior first baseman
Dominick Iaconis then drew a one-out walk, but junior catcher
John Cole grounded into a double play to end the inning.
In the ninth, junior designated hitter
Derek Marshall belted a leadoff single to bring the winning run to the plate. Perez then flied out to center field and senior
Paul Partridge, who was called upon to pinch hit, grounded into a game-ending double play to halt a potential rally.
Senior right-hander
Jeremiah St. Louis finished one strikeout shy of tying his season-high with 11 in the contest. He also did not yield a walk in 8.0 innings of work. Freshman second baseman
Michael Carbone continued his recent hot streak by going 2-for-3, while Perez finished 1-for-3 with the aforementioned homer.
Merrimack received two hits apiece from junior shortstop Brendan Pyburn, freshman right fielder PJ Farnham and junior left fielder Andrew Johnson.
In the finale, the Warriors scored in each of the first five innings, but Saint Rose sent 12 batters to the plate for a seven-run fourth, added four more in the fifth and gave itself a two-run cushion with a run in the sixth to overcome an initial 9-1 deficit.
Marshall provided the big blow for the Golden Knights with a three-run double in the fifth to knot things at 11-11. Partridge then delivered an RBI single to plate Marshall for the go-ahead run. In the sixth, Perez doubled down the right field line and came around to score on a base hit by Carbone, which provided the final margin.
Carbone wound up 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, Partridge finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and a run while Perez was 3-for-4 with two runs. Senior center fielder Jeff Bercume went 3-for-5 to pace Merrimack. He also became the all-time hits leader following a triple to right center field.
The Golden Knights, who have won five of their last six games, return to action Tuesday when they hit the road for a league date at Southern New Hampshire. Game time is set for 3:30 pm in Manchester, NH. The Warriors are also scheduled to travel Tuesday when they head to New Haven for a 3:30 pm conference game.
Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2