Posted: Mar 22, 2012
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BEVERLY, Mass. -- Fans in attendance at Endicott baseball’s 2012 home opener at North Field on Thursday got all the baseball they could have hoped for. The same could not be said for the result, however, as Endicott was downed by the Wheaton Lyons 8-7 in a fourteen inning roller coaster of a game.
The Gulls and Lyons played for four hours and seventeen minutes, combined for 107 at bats, used 17 pitchers and pounded out 30 hits, 21 of them by visiting Wheaton, who improved to 9-1 on the season, while Endicott dropped to 4-8.
The Gulls, who were done in by six errors, twice came from behind to tie the game, the first time with two outs in the ninth and two strikes on sophomore Taylor English (Barre, Vt.). English delivered an RBI single to left field, tying the game at four and dealing a blown save to Wheaton closer Ryan Grant (Easton, Mass.).
The teams each scored twice in the eleventh inning to keep the game knotted at six, with Endicott again tying the game in the bottom of the inning when third baseman Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.) singled to center field and Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.) lifted a sacrifice fly to score catcher Chase Sullivan (Cumberland, R.I.).
Wheaton had cashed in on a single by Apolinar De la Cruz (Providence, R.I.) and a double by Dan Gusovsky (Andover, Mass.).
Wheaton would take advantage of the Gulls errors, however, scoring two unearned runs in the top of the fourteenth to reclaim an 8-6 advantage.
Oringer walked in the bottom of the inning and would come in to score on a sac fly by John Halsey (Reading, Mass.), but the Gulls left Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.) at second base to end their night with 11 men stranded. Wheaton left 18 runners on base.
Oringer and Michael Russo (Natick, Mass.) each had two hits in the game for Endicott, while De la Cruz and right fielder Sean Ryan (Norton, Mass.) each had five hits for the Lyons. Russo scored three times and Wheaton designated hitter Eric Jensen (Gorham, N.H.) went 4-8 while crossing the plate four times.
Wheaton went on top with a run in the first inning and three in the third, as Dan Haugh (Andover, Mass.) and John Keating (Duxbury, Mass.) collected RBIs. Haugh was one of three Lyons with two RBIs to lead the team.
Endicott got a run back in the third and two more in the fifth on RBI singles by catcher Robert Goldstick (Deerfield, Ill.) and Oringer. However, Endicott could not break into the Wheaton lead anymore and would trail 4-3 until English’s base knock when the Gulls were staring at their final strike.
Endicott used eleven pitchers in the game, with sophomore John Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn.) throwing five innings of middle relief, allowing two runs and collecting six strikeouts.
Starter Mike McGinnis (Mashpee, Mass.) gave Wheaton seven innings, allowing two earned runs. Jordan Wylie (Plymouth, Mass.) went two and two-thirds innings to pick up the win, striking out two along the way. Nick Filloramo (Rochester, Mass.) pitched the bottom of the 14th to earn the save.
The Gulls will begin their Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play on Saturday with a doubleheader at Nichols, starting at 12:00 pm.
Wheaton will continue with NEWMAC action on Friday with a home game against Coast Guard Academy (3:30 pm).
