DALLAS, Pa.– Coming into tonight's MAC Freedom series-opener at Misericordia, Eastern University Baseball has been in every league game until the final out. So it came as no surprise when the bottom third of the Eastern order reached the top of the ninth in a 7-5 game. Misericordia reliever Steve Pabon got the ground ball he needed and the Cougar midfield turned two to end the game.
The Eagles took the lead with a two-out rally in the top of the third.
Brady DiGiacomo and
Craig Stanley worked long at bats for walks and
Shane Albertson doubled to left to drive in the two outfielders.
Tommy Strazza worked a shutdown inning in the third before the hosts scored a single tally in the fourth. Strazza ran into trouble in the fifth. The Cougars took advantage of hitters counts and went up 6-2 with five runs on five hits.
"Tommy walked a couple guys in the fourth," Head Coach
Jed Morris said of his junior started, "but he competed throughout and we were able to be in position unitl the end."
The Eagles grabbed two runs back with a two-out rally in the sixth.
Timmy Gorton hit his third home run of the year to close the gap to 6-3, and
Andrew Boykin doubled to left on the next pitch. Boykin scored on a
Freddy Yahn single. The freshman DH was 3-for-4 on the afternoon.
Strazza battled around a leadoff double without allowing a run in the sixth. Strazza closed out his outing with his sixth strikeout of the night.
After the Cougars scored a single run in the seventh, the Eagles looked poised to rally in the eighth after Albertson was hit by a pitch and
Angelo Kelly singled with nobody out. The Cougars pitched to Gorton. Gorton's hard ground ball scored a run, but also turned into two outs, and the rally ended with just one run scored.
Matt Bunjo, who retired the final hitter in the seventh, retired all three batters he faced in the eighth to set up the Eastern ninth.
"We missed some opportunities today." Morris said. "Their pitchers did a good job keeping the ball down and getting ground balls. We are back at it tomorrow."
The Eagles will host the Cougars in a noon doubleheader.
