Genaro Sets Single-Season Wins Record as Beavers Reach Regional Final for Second Year in a Row

YORK, Pa.—Sophomore Sean Harrington (Walpole, Mass.) hit a three-run homer and five different players drove in a run as No. 21 Collegiate Baseball/No. 23 D3baseball.com Babson College defeated Misericordia University, 7-5, to stay unbeaten in the NCAA Tournament York Regional on Sunday morning.

Babson, which won its school-record 14th straight game, improves to 35-10 overall and advances to Monday's regional final for the second year in a row. Misericordia slips to 33-13 on the year and will take on either Rowan or Virginia Wesleyan in an elimination game on Sunday afternoon.

Junior Connor Gill (Sterling, Mass.) was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, classmate Brian McHale (Ramsey, N.J.) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and sophomore Jake Oliger (Newtown, Conn.) had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run for the Beavers. Junior Michael Genaro (Greenwich, Conn.) picked up his single-season school record ninth win after allowing five runs in 7.1 innings, while senior Matt Cuneo (Ashland, Mass.) earned his fifth save with a perfect ninth inning.

Junior Conor Smith (Easton, Pa.) was 3-for-4 with four RBI and classmate Steve Weisensee (Clark, N.J.) went 2-for-5 with a double, and RBI and two runs scored to pace the Cougars' 13-hit attack. Senior Elliot Forde (West Grove, Pa.) gave up four runs on five hits while striking out four in six innings, but settled for a no-decision after junior Zach Mason (Manahawkin, N.J.) allowed three runs in 0.1 innings out of the bullpen.

Trailing 5-1 in the top of the sixth, Harrington made Forde pay for a pair of hit batsmen by launching his third home run of the season to pull the Beavers within a run. The Green and White got to Mason quickly in the seventh as Oliger singled to left center, McHale was plunked for the second time, and McHale and Gill produced back-to-back RBI singles to go in front 6-5.

Junior Kyle Melahn (Succasunna, N.J.) came on in relief of Mason, but senior Ryan Arena (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) singled to load the bases and classmate Mark Webber (Norwell, Mass.) lifted a fly ball to right that plated McHale to extend the Beavers' margin to 7-5. Sophomore William Gallagher (Kingston, Mass.) got consecutive groundouts to work out of a first-and-third jam in the eight and Cuneo retired the side in order in the last of the ninth.

Smith put Misericordia up 1-0 on an RBI single in the second and then drilled a two-out, two-run single to left center in the third to make it 3-0. Oliger drove in junior Eric Jaun (Loveland, Ohio) with a double to the left field corner with two outs in the top of the fifth to get Babson on the board, but Weisensee and Smith responded with RBI knocks in the bottom of the frame as the Cougars pushed their advantage to 5-1.

The Beavers stranded eight runners, which included leaving the bases loaded in both the seventh and ninth innings. Misericordia left 10 men on base in the loss.

Babson will return to action at 11 a.m. on Monday needing one victory to reach the College World Series for the first time in program history.

GAME NOTES
• Sunday's matchup was the first all-time between Babson and Misericordia.
• Genaro's ninth win is one more than the previous mark of eight set by Sam Kilpatrick '97 in 1996 and matched by Andrew Aizenstadt '11 in 2009.
• McHale recorded his third straight multi-hit game of the regional, while Webber has now driven in six runs in three outings in York.
• The Beavers are 10-4 this season in games decided by one or two runs.
• In seven NCAA Tournament games over the last two years, Gill is batting .483 (14-of-29) with five doubles and eight RBI.