April 1, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - The Endicott College baseball team opened Commonwealth Coast Conference play Sunday afternoon with a two-game sweep of New England College. The Gulls took game one, 2-1, and then erupted for a four-run eighth inning to win game two, 7-3.
Endicott broke the ice in the first inning of game one, as Aaron Santos (Cambridge, MA/Cushing Academy) led Endicott off with a single to right field. Senior Steve Vidmosko (Shelton, CT/Fairfield Prep) singled down the left field line, advancing the speedy centerfielder to third. Ryan Scanlon (Lowell, MA/Lowell) grounded into a double play, scoring Santos on the fielder's choice to put Endicott up 1-0.
The Pilgrims tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI wall-ball triple by Joe Leo (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham), evening the game at 1-all. With Leo on third, Endicott's Ian Parkinson reached down deep and struck out consecutive batters to escape the jam tied at one.
Dan Gomez (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) led the Gulls off in the top of the seventh with a base hit down the left field line. Tom Warner (Contoocook, NH/Hopkinton) and Aaron Santos both walked to load the bases. After a pop-out by Vidmosko, Todd Strong (Topsham, ME/Mt. Ararat) became the third walk in four batters, bringing Gomez across for the 2-1 Endicott lead.
Parkinson finished off his complete game effort in the bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts, locking up the win for Endicott. In all, Parkinson finished the day with a season-high 12 K's, allowing seven hits and just one run in the win.
Game two was a see-saw battle throughout, with neither team able to build any substantial lead. The Pilgrims opened the game with two quick runs in the 1st on back-to-back hits by Joe Leo and Joe Clark (Newcastle, ME/Lincoln Academy). Both players eventually came around to score as Jordan Morgan (East Weymouth, MA/Archbishop) reached on an Endicott fielding miscue, putting the Pilgrims up 2-0.
The Gulls evened the game at 2-all on hits by Ryan Scanlon (Lowell, MA/Lowell), Joe Paciello (Worcester, MA/St. Peter Marian), and Dan Gomez. Two Endicott runners would march across home plate before the end of the inning to tie the ballgame.
The Gulls went ahead in their half of the fourth as Tom Warner singled and then tore-up the base-paths by stealing second and third base. Warner would come around to scored on a Scanlon single, putting the Blue and Green up 3-2. NEC refused to go without a fight as the Pilgrims came back with a three-hit rally in the bottom of the sixth to retie the game at 3.
The Gulls put any heroic comeback attempts to bed in extra innings as Dan Gomez led the 8th off with a triple. The Gulls then rattled off three hits by Dennis Kinsey (Lansdale, PA/Methacton), Tom Warner and Ryan Scalon, plating four runners for a 7-3 lead. The four run lead sucked the life out of the Pilgrims, as they were unable to notch a hit in the bottom of the eighth.
Endicott's Ryan Scanlon went 3-for-5 with three RBI in game two. The Gulls Dan Gomez also had a strong day, hitting 2-for-4 with an RBI in the second contest. Adam Labbe (Litchfield, ME/Oak Hill Regional) an inning and 2/3rds to earn the win for Endicott.
The Gulls return to action on Tuesday afternoon as they play host to non-conference Worcester State. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 PM in Beverly, MA.
