REDLANDS, Calif. – Trailing 5-4 in the top of the ninth inning, the Endicott baseball team capped off their successful California spring break trip with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over No. 14/25 Redlands.
Trailing by one in the top of the ninth, the Gulls got the game-tying RBI on a single to center off the bat of senior second baseman Michael DeDonato (Chelmsford, Mass.) to score freshman Matthew McKinley (Hudson, N.H.) followed by a pinch-hit, RBI single to left by sophomore Ian Schmidt (Plymouth, Conn.) to plate junior outfielder Matt Bald (De Pere, Wisc.) for the go-ahead run.
Endicott held a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to a Brendan McDonald (Quincy, Mass.) RBI hit in the top half of the inning which put the Gulls on top. McDonald finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI as he added a RBI groundout in the top of the second and a RBI single in the top of the fourth.
Redlands was able to tie the game in the bottom half of the eighth on a Bart In den Kleef (Oosterhout, Netherlands) single down the left field line that scored junior Aaron Singh (Anaheim, Calif.).
Gulls junior reliever Will Bryant (Cumberland, Maine) pitched the final two innings of the game, allowing two hits while striking out one batter, to earn the win (1-0). This was Bryant's fourth appearance over spring break and fifth overall as he now has three saves and a 0.00 ERA in 6 2/3 IP.
Endicott saw senior lefty Will Ferreira (Nantucket, Mass.) pitch the opening four frames, allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks before handing the ball over to the bullpen. Sophomore Alexander Mandrus (Acton, Mass.), who finished his spring break with a 2.22 ERA over 8 1/3 IP, pitched two scoreless innings and senior Victor Molle (Peabody, Mass.) thew a scoreless bottom of the seventh before walking the first batter of the bottom of the eighth.
For Redlands, senior Adam Stead (Rialto, Calif.) pitched 7 2/3 strong innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on eight hits and a walk while striking out five batters. Senior Noah Jones (San Bernadino, Calif.) took the loss (0-1) as he allowed two earned runs in the top of the ninth.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott and Redlands met this past Monday with the Bulldogs taking the game 13-2 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
- This is Endicott's first win over a nationally-ranked team this season. They had three wins in 2017 (No. 6/7 Ramapo, No. 23 Southern Me., No. 26 Ill. Wesleyan)
- McDonald, Bald, DeDonato, and senior outfielder Michael Casciano (Somers, Conn.) all had two hits in the win.
- McDonald (3), DeDonato (2), and Schmidt (1) all had RBIs in the win.
- DeDonato and Casciano both had stolen bases in the win.
FOR THE FOES
- den Kleef and Will Hall (Seattle, Wash.) had multi-hit games for Redlands.
- Senior Rainier Aguilar (San Bernadino, Calif.) had two RBIs on a single in the bottom of the fifth.
- Senior Kyle Kabeary (Indio, Calif.) hit a solo shot in the bottom of the second as part of a two-run inning.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (7-1) returns to the east coast after a 6-1 record over their trip around the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The Gulls travel to No. 24 Wheaton (Mass., 4-7) on Tuesday, March 20 for a 4:00 PM EST start. Redlands (16-6, 7-2 SCIAC) hosts Williams on the same day for two games starting at 12:00 PM PST.