Harwich, MA --- Endicott graduate student Colin Sitarz (W. Hartford, CT) went 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs, two RBIs to help lift the third-seeded Gulls to a 5-2 triumph over #1 Southern Maine in the winners bracket game of the NCAA Division III New England Baseball regional at Whitehouse Field.
Endicott (35-12) moves on to its first-ever NCAA Division III regional final on Saturday at 4 PM. The Gulls, who have won 16 of their last 17 contests – including each of the last three in the regional - came into the Tournament with a 1-8 record in four appearances.
Southern Maine (39-8) takes on the winner of tonight's match-up that involves #2 Wheaton and third-seeded Western New England tomorrow at 12 PM.
Endicott staked the 1-0 early advantage in the top of the fourth on the team-leading fourth home run of the season by Sitarz to become the Gulls all-time hits leader with 216 base-knocks.
In the very next inning, freshman Cody Hall (Rutland, MA) drove in junior Tad Gold (Martha's Vinyard, MA) with a two-out bloop single to left. Hall led off the frame with a solo safety to right center and he moved into scoring position on consecutive ground-outs.
But the Huskies came back and knotted the score 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, knocking freshman starter JJ Branch (Milford, MA) out of the contest.
Senior Tucker White (Deerfield, NH) was plunked with the bases juiced by senior reliever Tyler Hitchcock (Abington, MA) before senior Nick Grady (Whitefield, ME) grounded into a double-play to score the equalizer. But Hitchcock fanned his last batter to end the threat.
Endicott responded in the top of the seventh by scoring a pair of runs for the 4-2 edge.
Senior Eric Lemke (Southington, CT) drew a walk with the bases full and then freshman Matthew Paola (Middlebury, CT) scampered home on a two-ball that was spun by sophomore reliever Andrew Richards (S. Portland, MA).
Endicott built up the margin to 5-2 when Sitarz drove in sophomore Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, MA), who had reached on a dropped pop-up by the second baseman in the outfield.
Hitchcock (9-1) was phenomenal over his final three frames of work as he set down nine of his final 11 batters to preserve the win and send his team to the New England Regional final.
Richards (7-2) was dealt the setback for Southern Maine for allowing the go-ahead runs to score in the top of the seventh.
Scates received the no-decision for the Huskies as he went the first six innings yielding two earned runs on four hits. Scates did not fan or walk a batter.
Branch lasted five-plus innings allowing two earned runs on five hits to go with a pair of walks and two punch outs in his seventh start of the season for Endicott.
Gold was 2-for-3 for the Gulls with a run scored while Dexter chipped in with a pair of hits at the top of the order for Southern Maine.
The Huskies, who had only been out-hit seven times in 43 games, have now been out slugged twice in the NCAA's in three contests. Endicott finished with the 10-6 edge in base-knocks.