BEVERLY, Mass. – The second-seeded Endicott baseball team went 1-1 against sixth-seeded Gordon College on Sunday evening at North Field to earn a spot in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship Series. Gordon notched a 5-4 comeback victory in game one of the tournament's double-elimination round, but the Gulls responded in game two with a dominant 15-0 triumph to continue their postseason run.
GAME ONE: Gordon 5, Endicott 4
Trailing 3-1 in the top of the eighth, Gordon rallied for four runs on two RBI singles, a fielder's choice and a throwing error.
Garrett Poole (Rindge, N.H.) then closed out the final 1 1/3 frames on one hit, no runs, and a strikeout to complete the comeback win. Matt Amore (Pequannock, N.J.) was dealt the no-decision on 7 2/3 innings, six hits, four runs (all earned), 11 walks, and two strikeouts over 164 pitches thrown (83 strikes).
Meanwhile, Colby Morris (Newburyport, Mass.) took the loss (3-4) via 7 1/3 innings, six hits, four runs (all earned), no walks, and a game-high four strikeouts.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.) pushed his on-base streak to 13 straight games by tying the single-game record for walks with four alongside two runs scored and one RBI.
- Nick Berno (St. Albans, Vt.) went 2-for-4 with one RBI from the leadoff spot in his full return to the lineup.
- Steve Morganelli (Milford, Mass.) compiled his third multi-hit game of the season in game one (2-for-4, one walk).
FOR THE FOES
- Christian Hodge's (Waltham, Mass.) RBI single up the middle in the eighth proved to be the difference in the win.
- Gordon picked up its ninth victory in program history against Endicott in game one (9-33 at the time).
GAME TWO: Endicott 15, Gordon 0
The Gulls broke the game open with back-to-back five-run frames (third/fourth) to advance to the CCC Championship series.
Morganelli highlighted Endicott with a 2-for-4, two runs scored, four RBI, and one walk line at the plate. Chris Seidl (Dracut, Mass.) also went 2-for-3 with four RBI, while Kochiss was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, three RBI and two walks.
Kevin Gould (Rollinsford, N.H.) picked up the win (6-0) on five shutout innings, three hits, zero runs, and one strikeout. Zachary Sultar (South Windsor, Conn.), Eric Nagle (Manchester, Conn.), Luke Morse (Westford, Mass.), and Alexander Mandrus (Acton, Mass.) combined to give up four hits (one each) and three walks while striking out two batters over one inning pitched, respectively.
Poole received the loss (2-4) on 2 1/3 innings of work, three hits, four runs (three earned), two free passes, and two punchouts.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 16-7 at home this season, and 34-9 all-time versus Gordon.
- The Gulls' 15 runs today ranks seventh all-time in a single-game against the Fighting Scots (single-game is 28, which occurred on 5/5/16)
- Six different student-athletes had multi-hit games.
FOR THE FOES
- Chris Leavitt (East Bridgewater, Mass.) went 3-for-4 out of the two-hole.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (25-17) awaits the winner of the No. 1 Salve Regina/No. 5 Nichols matchup on the other side of the bracket. The CCC Championship series begins on Friday, May 12 at the highest remaining seed.
Gordon's season comes to a close at 13-22. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - David Le '10)