Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
ST. DAVIDS, Pa.—Eastern University Baseball demonstrated resolve in both games of Saturday's doubleheader with the Misericordia University Cougars by fighting until the last out of each game.
The Eagles scored multiple runs in the bottom of the seventh in each game and had the tying run on base both times, but weren't able to complete the comebacks against the Cougars who entered the day ranked No. 15 nationally. Eastern fell 8-7 in game one and 4-3 in game two.
Angelo Kelly, Eric Rossi and Timmy Gorton each had three hits in the doubleheader.
Eastern got after Misericordia's ace Cory Vogeli early in game one. Vogeli entered Saturday's game with a 5-0 record and a 0.53 ERA (two earned runs in 34 innings).
A double by freshman Timmy Gorton followed by a single by Joe Grato allowed Ryan McMenamin to score. Eric Rossi then singled to center to score Gorton. In one inning, the Eagles had doubled Vogeli's earned run total for the season.
Misericordia scored a run in the second off Eagles starting pitcher Austin Little. Little went 5.2 innings with six hits allowed, five runs given up (one earned), and two strike outs.
Eastern scored three runs in the third. After Gorton and Rossi singled, Andrew Check reached on a two-out error to load the bases. Freshman Tommy Strazza cleared the bases with a triple down the right field line that just landed fair.
Vogeli settled down after that and kept the Eagles scoreless the next three innings. Meanwhile, Misericordia scored three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to take the 6-5 lead. The Cougars upped the lead to 8-5 in the top of the seventh.
With two outs, and the relief pitcher's spot up in the batting order for the Eagles, head coach Jed Morris called on Andrew Boykin to pinch hit. Boykin, who was 1-for-3 this season as a pinch hitter, took the Cougars' closer deep to right field for his first home run of the season.
Craig Stanley kept the inning going with an infield single and then made it to second on a throwing error. Mike McCracken, who started at second base, smacked a single to center field to score Stanley and bring Eastern within one. However, the Eagles weren't able to bring McCracken home and fell 8-7.
Misericordia knocked in three runs to lead off the first inning, but after that, the game turned into a pitcher's duel. Both Eastern's Ryan Kehr and Misericordia's Garrett Pelko went the distance.
Eastern struggled to assemble any offense through the first six innings. Eastern's Angelo Kelly led off the first with a single, but the Eagles didn't get their next hit until the bottom of the seventh.
Gorton and Grato singled back-to-back with one out and the Eagles trailing 4-0. Gorton marked the Eagles' first runner in scoring position this game. Rossi pulled a single down the right field line to score Gorton, ending the shut out. Andrew Check clobbered a double to left center scoring both Grato and Rossi and pulling Eastern within one. A wild pitch brought Check, the potential tying run, to third base with one out still. The Eagles' next two at-bats didn't get out of the infield and Check was left stranded on third.
Eastern (9-18, 6-10 Freedom) hosts FDU-Florham at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
