GLASSBORO, NJ – No. 19 Rowan rallied from a nine-run deficit by scoring eight runs in the eighth inning to earn a 14-12 win over Gwynedd Mercy in non-league baseball action. Tyler Cannon and Anthony Schooley each had doubles in the eighth that drove in the go-ahead runs as the Profs ended a three-game losing streak.
Schooley was 3-for-6 with three runs and three RBI, Phil Sedalis was 3-for-4 with three runs and Cannon drove in two and scored two. Brian Gallante also had three hits in five at-bats with two RBI while Dylan Maria was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Mike Shannon (2-0) picked up his second win in relief, with Christian Bascunan earning his third save of the year by closing out the game in the ninth.
Rowan (14-6) trailed 11-2 after Gwynedd Mercy's half of the fourth and started to chip away at the deficit. The Profs held the Griffins from that point on and answered with a run apiece in the fourth and fifth innings, two in the sixth and eight in the eighth.
Down 11-6 entering the eighth, Sedalis led off with a walk and after a single from Schooley, was on third to score on a sacrifice fly from Maria. After a wild pitch, Schooley moved to third on Chris Serrano's single and scored on Jason Morgan's sacrifice fly. Another wild pitch advanced Serrano and he scored when Nick Struble doubled, and Gallante brought home Struble with a double to get the Profs within 11-10.
Mason Dorsey reached base as he was hit by a pitch and Cannon doubled but advanced to third on an error, driving in Dorsey and Gallante to give Rowan a 12-11 lead. A wild pitch allowed Cannon to score and after Sedalis walked for the second time in the inning, Schooley's double brought home Sedalis with the insurance run and the 14-12 margin.
Gwynedd Mercy (11-11) got off to a flying start with four runs in the first inning. The Griffins tacked on another in the second and by the end of their half of the third, held a 9-0 lead. Rowan got two back in the third as Maria doubled to score Sedalis and Morgan hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Schooley.
The Griffins added two more runs in the fourth to take an 11-2 lead but would not score the rest of the way. In the fourth, Dorsey doubled in his first career start, and scored on a ground out by Schooley. Gallante gave the Profs another in the fifth with a single that brought home Morgan. Rowan pulled within 11-6 in the sixth on RBI singles from Schooley and Maria, setting the stage for the eight-run eighth inning.
Rowan relievers Braden Waller, Charlie Russell and Shannon kept Gwynedd Mercy scoreless over four innings and despite giving up one run in the ninth, Bascunan struck out three in the ninth to earn the save.
The Profs return to action on Thursday when they host NJCU in a single NJAC game at 3:30 p.m. with the teams playing in Jersey City on Friday. Rowan will host #21 Montclair State in a conference doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11:30 a.m.