Box Score: Game 1 | Game 2 | Photo Gallery
Game 1: Misericordia 9, Elizabethtown 6
Game 2: Misericordia 16, Elizabethtown 7
FLEMINGTON, N.J. — Tyler Weary drove in four runs over two games, but defending Freedom Conference Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Misericordia produced its fair share of offense in sweeping the Blue Jays, 9-6 and 16-7, Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J.
The Cougars put starter Matt Ruth (0-1) and the rest of the Jays in a big hole the second time through their batting order. Chris Boroch doubled in Mike Comerford to open the scoring in the bottom of the third. Boroch scored on a single to right from Andrew Tressa, and Steve Sulcoski homered to left to cap a four-run inning.
Misericordia (3-1) added to its lead in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring twice in each. Catcher Julian Faria's moon shot to left for a two-run home run made it 8-0 in the fifth.
Freshman Sean Jones started a four-run rally for the Blue Jays (0-2) with an RBI single to center in the top of the sixth that scored Kyle Gable.
Weary's double to right center was the start of a huge afternoon for the Gardners, Pa. native. It plated Jones and Tagle to cut the MU lead to 8-3. Weary came around on a Cougar fielding error later in the frame.
Dylan Manning was great out of the pen in relief of Ruth in his E-town debut. Manning went the final three innings, striking out four and allowing only Sulcoski's sixth inning RBI single.
Evan Robaczewski improved to 2-0 for Misericordia with 5.2 innings of work. He allowed seven hits four runs (three earned) and struck out four. Justin Haddix got a four out save, his first of the season.
Even though the Jays were unable to complete the comeback, they managed to outhit Misericordia 13-11. Gable, Tagle, Jones, Weary and Kevin Berkheiser had two each. Jones and Weary each scored twice.
Sulcoski was 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Cougars. Faria and Tressa each had two hits, two runs scored and two runs batted in.
In game two, Elizabethtown put up a first-inning run to take an early lead, but it was answered by three straight runs from the Cougars. Alex Holbert led off the game with a bloop single down the right field line, and scored on a two-out single by Jones.
Weary came through again in the bottom of the fourth with the Jays trailing 3-1. He belted a Matt Karabin pitch deep over the left field wall for his first career home run. Weary's round-tripper matched E-town's 2012 season total of one home run. Last year's lone long ball was hit by then-senior Matt Reade.
Game two looked as if it would get away from the Jays in the top of the fifth, as Misericordia scored five times, but in the seventh, the Jays pushed three runs across to make it a 9-7 game.
Ryan Shirk, Holbert and Gable each drew walks against Ryan Dorosh, but Luke Gatti grounded into a 4-6-3 double play on the first pitch. Shirk did score on the play, however.
Tagle and Jones followed with big run-scoring hits to close the gap. Tagle singled up the middle to score Holbert, and Jones hit a bullet to left over the head of left fielder Will Minderjahn for his first career extra base hit.
Rob Cressman worked a 1-2-3 eighth for Elizabethtown, but Haddix retired the Blue and Gray while only allowing a walk in their next-to-last at bats.
The game would get away from E-town in the ninth, however, as a pair of errors extended the inning and allowed Misericordia to score seven times on their way to the 16-7 victory. Held in check for most of the afternoon and evening, returning All-American Kenny Durling finally broke through with a 3-run home run to left, ending Cressman's outing.
Kyle Lindsay added a two-run triple later in the inning. None of the seven runs scored against Cressman or freshman Josh Sollenberger in the ninth were earned.
Kristopher Davis fell to 0-1, allowing five runs (all earned) over 4.1 innings. Cressman pitched the next four innings, and Sollenberger the last two-thirds of an inning. On the other side Matt Karabin went the necessary five innings, striking out four, to pick up the victory.
Sulcoski was 2-for-5 with four runs batted in, while Durling added four RBIs of his own in a 2-for-6 game two. Eight of the nine Cougars in the lineup recorded at least one hit, and four guys had a pair of knocks.
Elizabethtown will be back on the road Monday, heading down to Virginia to face No. 23 Shenandoah in a single 9-inning game that begins at 2:30 p.m.
Game 2: Misericordia 16, Elizabethtown 7
FLEMINGTON, N.J. — Tyler Weary drove in four runs over two games, but defending Freedom Conference Champion and NCAA Tournament qualifier Misericordia produced its fair share of offense in sweeping the Blue Jays, 9-6 and 16-7, Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J.
The Cougars put starter Matt Ruth (0-1) and the rest of the Jays in a big hole the second time through their batting order. Chris Boroch doubled in Mike Comerford to open the scoring in the bottom of the third. Boroch scored on a single to right from Andrew Tressa, and Steve Sulcoski homered to left to cap a four-run inning.
Misericordia (3-1) added to its lead in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring twice in each. Catcher Julian Faria's moon shot to left for a two-run home run made it 8-0 in the fifth.
Freshman Sean Jones started a four-run rally for the Blue Jays (0-2) with an RBI single to center in the top of the sixth that scored Kyle Gable.
Weary's double to right center was the start of a huge afternoon for the Gardners, Pa. native. It plated Jones and Tagle to cut the MU lead to 8-3. Weary came around on a Cougar fielding error later in the frame.
Dylan Manning was great out of the pen in relief of Ruth in his E-town debut. Manning went the final three innings, striking out four and allowing only Sulcoski's sixth inning RBI single.
Evan Robaczewski improved to 2-0 for Misericordia with 5.2 innings of work. He allowed seven hits four runs (three earned) and struck out four. Justin Haddix got a four out save, his first of the season.
Even though the Jays were unable to complete the comeback, they managed to outhit Misericordia 13-11. Gable, Tagle, Jones, Weary and Kevin Berkheiser had two each. Jones and Weary each scored twice.
Sulcoski was 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Cougars. Faria and Tressa each had two hits, two runs scored and two runs batted in.
In game two, Elizabethtown put up a first-inning run to take an early lead, but it was answered by three straight runs from the Cougars. Alex Holbert led off the game with a bloop single down the right field line, and scored on a two-out single by Jones.
Weary came through again in the bottom of the fourth with the Jays trailing 3-1. He belted a Matt Karabin pitch deep over the left field wall for his first career home run. Weary's round-tripper matched E-town's 2012 season total of one home run. Last year's lone long ball was hit by then-senior Matt Reade.
Game two looked as if it would get away from the Jays in the top of the fifth, as Misericordia scored five times, but in the seventh, the Jays pushed three runs across to make it a 9-7 game.
Ryan Shirk, Holbert and Gable each drew walks against Ryan Dorosh, but Luke Gatti grounded into a 4-6-3 double play on the first pitch. Shirk did score on the play, however.
Tagle and Jones followed with big run-scoring hits to close the gap. Tagle singled up the middle to score Holbert, and Jones hit a bullet to left over the head of left fielder Will Minderjahn for his first career extra base hit.
Rob Cressman worked a 1-2-3 eighth for Elizabethtown, but Haddix retired the Blue and Gray while only allowing a walk in their next-to-last at bats.
The game would get away from E-town in the ninth, however, as a pair of errors extended the inning and allowed Misericordia to score seven times on their way to the 16-7 victory. Held in check for most of the afternoon and evening, returning All-American Kenny Durling finally broke through with a 3-run home run to left, ending Cressman's outing.
Kyle Lindsay added a two-run triple later in the inning. None of the seven runs scored against Cressman or freshman Josh Sollenberger in the ninth were earned.
Kristopher Davis fell to 0-1, allowing five runs (all earned) over 4.1 innings. Cressman pitched the next four innings, and Sollenberger the last two-thirds of an inning. On the other side Matt Karabin went the necessary five innings, striking out four, to pick up the victory.
Sulcoski was 2-for-5 with four runs batted in, while Durling added four RBIs of his own in a 2-for-6 game two. Eight of the nine Cougars in the lineup recorded at least one hit, and four guys had a pair of knocks.
Elizabethtown will be back on the road Monday, heading down to Virginia to face No. 23 Shenandoah in a single 9-inning game that begins at 2:30 p.m.
