By Jim Dixon
D3sports.com
EASTLAKE, Ohio - Misericordia was able to play its style of offense and rolled to a 12-4 win over Endicott in the first of two elimination games in the D-III World Series being held at Classic Auto Group Park.
It was a sloppy game that featured four errors for each team, but the deciding statistic were the free passes allowed by either a walk or hit batter that decided the outcome of the game. Endicott walked or hit 10 batters while Misericordia allowed just four. For the Cougars three put on base scored and an additional three were key to scoring three more runs. None of the Endicott batters who got a fee pass scored nor led to additional offensive opportunities.
"Good effort from us offensively, uncharacteristically defensively," said Misericordia head coach Pete Egbert. "We talked the last 24 hours about making some adjustments on offense."
- Photo gallery: Endicott vs. Misericordia to come
- D-III World Series: Preview | Day 1 | Day 2
- NCAA playoff bracket
- One last chance for Birmingham-Southern
- Lynchburg's title defense still alive
|
| Garrett McIlhenney's recent struggles at the plate were not evident on Monday, as he went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com | More photos from this game coming at d3photography.com |
Misericordia jumped on top early as Jack Regenye, the second batter of the game, sliced a drive through the right side of the infield and moved over on an error charged to TJ Liponis, the Endicott shortstop. Connor Maryniak was able to avoid the tag at first base, on a call confirmed by replay. A walk to Joe Comins loaded the sacks and in Misericordia fashion, a run scored when Endicott starter Nicholas Cannata hit Jason Sanfilippo with a pitch.
Walks continued to haunt the Endicott Gulls. In the third inning a leadoff walk to Brock Bollinger ended up leading to three runs for the Cougars. Following the Bollinger walk, Maryniak sacrificed him to second and he took third on a groundout to second. A Sanfilippo single that found the outfield grass brought home Bollinger and was the first of a string of four straight hits that brought the score to 4-0 in Misericordia’s favor and ended the day for Cannata. Following the Sanfilippo single was a Andrew Van Horn double and singles by Gabe Bunn.
Endicott got one back as the Gulls got on the board with one swing of the bat when Brendan O’Neil homered over the left-center fence on a 3-1 pitch.
- D3baseball.com World Series Scoreboard
- D-III World Series Record Book
- D3baseball.com World Series Program
- d3photography.com D3WS photos (2009-present)
In the fifth, Misericordia played their offensive game to perfection. Sanfilippo opened the inning with a single and moved up a base when Van Horn was hit by the Will Fox, the Endicott reliever. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base. With one out and the infield in, Owen Cordner slapped a single that would have produced an out but instead netted the second run of the inning. Cordner stole second and was in scoring position with Garrett McIlhenney at the plate. Egbert called for the squeeze and it allowed McIlhenney to reach and for Van Horn to score. When the pitcher was unable to field the bunt, Cordner came around from second for run No. 3 in the inning. Walks to Regenye and Bollinger filled the sacks. McIlhenney and Regenye scored as Maryniak’s line drive bounced off the mound into center field for the final runs of the inning and a 9-1 lead. The inning enned on a pop-up double play in which the lead runs was out in a the subsequent rundown.
"That's our style of baseball," said Egbert. "We try to get the first man on base. We put pressure on the defense, move runners, do the little things right."
In their next at-bats, Endicott had an answer. Nicolas Notarangelo singled and scored on a drive off the bat by Danny MacDougall that cleared the fence and bounced off the tarp past left field. O’Neil walked and moved up two bases on Liponis’s double down the left field line. O’Neil was erased on a fielder’s choice on a throw to the plate. Liponis would end up scoring on an error charged to the Misericordia shortstop before Misericordia starter Steve Rinda ended the inning with a strikeout.
Misericordia would score a disputed run. Ethan Elmes singled and advanced on a stolen base and wild pitch. Cordner was called out for running outside the lines and when it was reverse upon replay, Elmes's run stood. McIlhenney's home run to right scored Cordner as the Cougars reached 12 runs for the game and a high water mark for any team in the tournament this year.
Three Cougars had multi-hit game, McIlhenney, Maryniak and Sanfilippohad two hits on the day. McIlhenney led his team with four RBIs. Four Cougars scored twice. Notoarangelo was the only Gull with multiple hits (2) and MacDougall drove in two. Steve Rinda (8-1) earned the win with 6 innings pitched. He allowed four runs on five hits and walked one. He struckout seven. Cannata (5-2) took the loss. He allowed four runs, three earned on five hits in 2.2 innings, He walked three batters.
Misericordia advances to play Lynchburg on Monday. They will need to beat the Hornets twice to advance to the D-III Championship Series. Endicott ends its season 47-4 with a 1-2 record this weekend. Endicott is the first No. 1 team to get as far as the D-III World Series and end the tournament with a losing record. Three No. 1 teams, Christopher Newport (2019), UW-Whitewater (2018) and LaGrange (2017) bowed out in regional play.