GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. -- The Gwynedd Mercy Baseball Team advanced to the championship series of the 2019 Atlantic East Tournament with their 19-9 win over Marymount. The Griffins come out of Pod B and will meet Cabrini next weekend to determine the inaugural Atlantic East Champion.
A game that saw 33 hits, 28 runs, 17 pitchers and lasted just short of four hours was well worth it for the Griffins, who had to win once on Saturday (after going 2-0 on Friday) to advance to the championship series starting on Friday. The Saints, however, did not go down without a fight.
Tied at 9-9 entering the bottom half of the seventh, Gwynedd turned it on, scoring 10 runs in the frame to grab the lead for good.
Sachael Sciarretta continued to haunt Marymount as the senior went 3-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs scored. In four games against the Saints this year, he is 8-for-15 with 11 RBIs, six runs, two doubles and a homer, all of which were GMercyU wins. Nick Mulvey knocked in four runs, going 3-for-6 and Ryan Keen homered and walked twice.
The Saints scored twice in the first and added a run in the second to jump out to a 3-0 lead before Gwynedd answered with a three-spot in the bottom half, keyed by a two-run single from Jason Mulvey. A two-run homer in the third put Marymount back on top, but that did not last long. Keen's two-run home run and a two-run double from Sciarretta was part of a five-spot to give Gwynedd the 8-5 lead.
Marymount scored runs in the fourth and fifth to tie things once again. Nick Mulvey's two-out RBI double in the fifth made it, 9-8.
After a run in the top of the seventh tied it up at 9-9, the Griffins exploded in their at-bat, scoring 10 times on six hits, three walks, and an error. Two walks and a single to lead off the frame would load the bases with no outs. Keen singled home a run, Tommy Nardini walked in a run, and Brandon Gray was able to drive in a run before Josh Lopez delivered a big two-run double. Nick Mulvey and Dave Tatoian rounded out the scoring with RBI hits for a 10-run lead.
Liam Sullivan entered in the seventh and was the pitcher of record to pick up the win. Gino Tripodi entered in the ninth and got a game-ending double play to wrap things up.