MERRIMACK BEATS PACE IN 9TH, 3-2
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Junior Rick Sotiropoulos (Ipswitch,
Mass.) drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the
ninth to give Merrimack College a 3-2 win over Pace University in
Northeast-10 baseball action Tuesday afternoon.
Senior Jason Schiappa (Seabrook, N.H.) reached base with one out when he was hit by a pitch from Setters reliever Earl Oates. He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Following a walk to freshman Tim Corcoran (Beverly, Mass.), freshman catcher Bob McCarthy (Chelmsford, Mass.) struck out and sophomore Ryan Shepard (Andover, Mass.) walked, bringing Sotiropoulos to the plate. He walked on four pitches to plate Schiappa and end the contest.
The Setters (21-13, 7-7 Northeast-10) trailed 2-1 entering the ninth but tied the game when McCarthy was unable to handle a third strike to Andre Liscinsky, allowing him to reach first and the tying run to score from third base.
Pace took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI single by Matt Bisbano before the Warriors (11-18, 7-11 Northeast-10) scored twice in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. Sotiropoulos ripped a single to right that scored McCarthy and he later scored on a single by freshman Jeff Bercume (Leicester, Mass.).
Junior Brian DeMasse (Reading, Mass.) improved to 3-3 with the win, allowing just five hits and two runs (one earned) in nine innings of work. Michael Sheehy suffered the loss for the Setters, allowing one run in 1.1 innings of work.
RELEASE COURTESY OF MERRIMACK COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION