GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- Gwynedd Mercy went 2-0 in their Atlantic East Baseball Tournament Pod defeating Neumann, 9-5, and Marymount, 6-2, on Friday. The Saints used a 12-11 extra-inning win that knocked the Knights out of the postseason.
The Griffins got the day started with a win over the Knights, but had to overcome an early 4-0 deficit to do so. A four-run fifth helped tie things up at 5-5 where in the seventh, GMercyU tacked on another four-spot to take the lead for good.
Nick Mulvey and Ryan Keen each drove in three runs while Sachael Sciarretta scored three times and Tommy Nardini homered in his fourth game in a row.
Neumann scored four in the third on seven hits off of Gwynedd starter Nick DeRitis. Mulvey knocked in Sciarretta with two outs in the bottom half of the inning to get the team on the board.
DeRitis prevailed as he worked out of jams in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, retiring the Knights each time with two runners on.
Nardini's two-run shot came in that four-run seventh as he smashed a 2-2 pitch out to left field.
DeRitis worked into the eighth where Liam Sullivan came on and got a big double play with runners on the corners to move things to the bottom of the frame. Dave Tatoian entered in the ninth and was able to lock things down for the 9-5 victory.
For Neumann, John Schoelkopf doubled twice and scored while teammate Danny Padilla had a pair of RBIs, two hits, and two walks.
In the middle game, Marymount and Neumann entered extra innings tied at 6-6. Each team crossed a run in the 11th before the Knights scored four runs in the top of the 12th. The Saints used a rally of their own, scoring five runs including a walk-off RBI single to eliminate Neumann from the tournament.
The day's final game saw Marymount and Gwynedd Mercy try to get a leg up on their series with today's winner in the driver's seat, needing just one win tomorrow to advance out of the pod. GMercyU scored runs in big spots to take a 6-2 win.
Dave Tatoian added another career milestone in the win, as the senior collected his 200th hit. He becomes only the second player in team history to accomplish the feat.
The Griffins struck first, scoring twice in their first at-bat as a key error on a potential double play ball with the bases loaded helped two runs score.
In the sixth, the Saints used an RBI double to cut the lead in half before Nardini countered with an RBI single in the bottom half. He would later come around and score on a wild pitch to make it a three-run contest. Gwynedd took advantage of an error in the eighth with the sacks full to score two more runs.
Nardini and Mulvey had two hits apiece.
Starter R.J. Boyle threw into the seventh, allowing two runs on seven hits, with five strikeouts and three walks to pick up the win. He grinded through a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, ending the threat with a groundout. The bullpen trio of Matt Pallotta, Sullivan, and Tatoian allowed just three hits and no runs to help the Griffins go to 2-0 on the day.
The teams will meet tomorrow at 11 a.m. with the Griffins needing one win. Marymount can force a winner-take-all second game at 2 p.m. if necessary