BEVERLY, Mass. – A two-run home run by Danny MacDougall (Taunton, Mass.) in the top of the tenth inning sent the No. 1 ranked Endicott College baseball team over No. 6/7 Johns Hopkins University, 7-5, on Friday afternoon in the opening game of a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional series at North Field.
WP (3-0): Evan Scully (Maynard, Mass.) – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
LP (1-2): Grant Meert (Ballwin, Mo.) – 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER
With Endicott playing as the visiting team in game one due to NCAA Super Regional rules, Dylan Pacheco (Dartmouth, Mass.) led off the top of the tenth with a single to right. He then moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on ground out by Nicolas Notarangelo (Taunton, Mass.) before MacDougall came to the plate and launched his seventh home run of the season over the fence in left giving the Gulls a 7-5 edge.
Scully returned to the bump for his second inning of work in the bottom of the frame and sat Johns Hopkins down in order, securing the game one victory for Endicott. Scully retired all six batters he faced to earn his third win of the season.
Scully, starter Jordan Gottesman (Acton, Mass.), and reliever Will Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) held Johns Hopkins to just five runs and six hits and combined for nine strikeouts – eight of which came from Gottesman.
Johns Hopkins, who averages 13.2 runs per game, entered today having totaled 105 runs over its previous six postseason contests, but was able to produce just five runs this afternoon – its lowest output since April 27 and its third-lowest output of the season.
After three scoreless frames on the bump by both starters, Johns Hopkins put together three runs on two hits in the bottom of the third for the early lead.
Alex Shane (Los Angeles, Calif.) began the frame with a double down the left field line before Shawn Steuerer (Wellington, Fla.) belted his 17th home run of the season deep over the fence in left. After Gottesman retired Dillon Souvignier (Boulder, Colo.) on a groundout, the Blue Jays loaded the bases on a hit by pitch, fielder's choice, and a walk. Jimmy Stevens (New Albany, Ohio) earned the RBI and plated Caleb Cyr (Coral Springs, Fla.) with a walk to extend the lead to 3-0.
Endicott got one back in the top of the fifth to cut its deficit to two. With one out, Brenden Walsh (Reading, Mass.) walked and stole second before coming around to score on an RBI knock to right by Pacheco. In the very next inning, the Gulls made it a one-run game on a sacrifice fly by TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine). MacDougall began the frame with a single to left center, stole second, and moved to third on a fly out before scoring Endicott's second run of the contest on the out by Liponis.
Johns Hopkins got a run back in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 4-2, but Endicott answered with a three-spot of its own in the seventh. John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.) and Joey Frammartino (North Reading, Mass.) both roped base hits through the right side and then with two outs, Notarangelo launched a three-run shot to dead center pushing Endicott out in front, 5-4.
Notarangelo, Endicott's all-time leader in home runs, belted his fifth home run of the season and 27th of his collegiate career.
A solo shot by Isaiah Winikur (Wynnewood, Pa.) for the Blue Jays in the bottom of the eighth inning knotted the score at five ensuring extra innings in game one of the Beverly Super Regional.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Appearing in its ninth NCAA Tournament, Endicott is hosting an NCAA Super Regional for the third consecutive season.
- The Gulls swept Ithaca College in last year's Super Regional series on North Field and appeared in their first College World Series a season ago. Endicott has a record of 3-2 in five Super Regional games.
- Today's game marked just the second meeting between Endicott and Johns Hopkins in the all-time series, which began in March. The two teams met earlier this season in Auburndale, Florida with the Gulls coming away with a 14-8 neutral site victory.
- Endicott is now 24-0 at North Field this season and 68-6 over the last three seasons (.919 winning percentage). Johns Hopkins is 15-5 away from its home field this year.
- Johns Hopkins hit its 99th and 100th home runs of the season, which ranks fourth most in a season in Division III history. The Blue Jays hold the record of 114, a mark they set a season ago.
- Today was the first extra inning game of the season for both Endicott and Johns Hopkins. A season ago, the Gulls played four extra inning games and went 4-0 in those contests.
- Notarangelo and MacDougall hit home runs against the Blue Jays in both matchups between the clubs this year.
- MacDougall recorded two stolen bases upping his season total to a nation-leading 47.
- Today's victory tied the program record for most wins in a season (45-9, 2023 season).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 1 Endicott (45-2) and No. 6/7 Johns Hopkins (35-10) meet in an elimination game tomorrow at 11:00 am. Should the Blue Jays tie the series, a winner-take-all third contest follows 45 minutes after the opening concludes. The winner of this weekend's Super Regional will advance to the College World Series next weekend in Ohio.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
