HOLLRAH SCORES WINNING RUN IN 12TH INNING, SETTERS BEAT OWLS, 3-2
PLEASANTVILLE, NY - Senior Brian Hollrah (Glenwood, MD/Glenely), playing in his final game for Pace, scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning, as Pace defeated Southern Connecticut, 3-2.
Southern Connecticut jumped on the board first when Jim McLaughlin (Medway, MA) singled to lead off the 2nd inning. Sean Morgan (Maynard, MA) then sacrifice McLaughlin to second base with a bunt. After Joe Pagan (Bridgeport, CT) struck out looking, Karl Derbacker (Northford, CT) hit a screaming line drive down the right field line, scoring McLaughlin from second and giving Southern Connecticut a 1-0 lead.
Southern Connecticut starter Josh Terletzky (Plainfield, CT) held Pace scoreless through six innings, giving up five hits over the span. In the 7th, Matt McNichol (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) singled to left field with one out. After Andre Liscinsky (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) grounded out to move McNichol to second, Chris Brown (West Kingston, RI/South Kingstown) singled up the middle to score McNichol from second base and tie the game at 1-1. Brown would advance to second on the attempt on McNichol at the plate. JC Pullum (White Plains, NY/Valhalla) then followed with a single to left field, scoring Brown from second and giving Pace a 2-1 lead.
In the 9th, Pace closer Earl Oakes (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) beaned Derbacher to start the inning. After Kevin Bowermen (West Haven, CT) bunted Derbacher to second, Michael Diaz (Monroe, CT) hit a broken-bat blooper to center field that dropped in just short of a diving Hollrah to tie the game at 2-2.
Pace head coach Henry Manning called on sophomore Michael Sheehy (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial) in extra innings. Sheehy shut down the Owls' offense, pitching three scoreless innings while striking out four and allowing one baserunner.
In the bottom of the 12th, Pullum led off the inning with a single to left field and then moved to second on a wild pitch. After Southern Connecticut reliever Steve Gatewood (Franklin, MA) intentionally walked Hollrah to set up a force, Pullum was caught stealing third base on a double steal. After Cawley struck out for the second out of the inning, Matt Arburr (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) was then walked intentionally to get to Joe Barracato (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke), who entered the game in the previous inning as a defensive replacement for Mike Pahira (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel). On Gatewood's first offering to Barracato, the sophomore outfielder dropped a bunt down the first base line. Barracato would beat the throw from Southern Connecticut first baseman Nick Czekaj (Branford, CT) as Gatewood was off the bag. Hollrah would cross with the winning run in the Setters' season finale.
At the plate, McNichol was 3-for-5 with a run scored while Pullum was 2-for-6 with an RBI. Pace starter Matt Reilly (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) allowed one run on five hits while striking out five over five innings. Reilly will finish his career with 194 strikeouts, good for 2nd place all-time at Pace, he also broke the innings pitched record with 238 2/3 for his career, passing Keith Makowski's (99-02) 237 innings pitched. For Southern Connecticut, Diaz was 2-for-6 with an RBI while Derbacher also scored and drove in a run. On the mound, Terletzky gave up two runs over eight innings while scattering eight hits. Jared Rohrig (Milford, CT) pitched two scoreless innings for SCSU.
Pace will close out the season at 34-17 overall and 19-11 in the
Northeast-10 Conference while Southern Connecticut drops to 31-16
overall and 20-10 in conference play. Pace's 34 wins are a
new school record.