The Suffolk University Baseball team swept a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader on Friday afternoon over the Norwich University Cadets. Suffolk used a complete game three hitter by senior Frank Tierney (Hyde Park, Mass.) to win the opener, before he came around to score the walk off run as a pinch-runner in an 8-7 victory in game two.
Game One: Suffolk 1 Norwich 0
Tierney scattered three singles in game one as the Cadets did not have a baserunner reach second in a 1-0 Suffolk victory.
Tierney struck out seven hitters while not allowing a walk in the complete game shutout, his second of the season to improve to a 3-0 mark on the year on the hill.
Suffolk scored the lone run of the ball game in the fourth as senior JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) doubled to deep left to start the inning off. After an infield error allowed Collette to reach third, junior Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) would drive in the game's lone run with a sacrifice fly to center.
Junior Billy Whaley (Northfield, Vt.) was solid on the mound for the Cadets as he was the tough luck loser. Whaley punched out five hitters while only allowing four hits in the game. Following Collette's double, Whaley allowed just one base runner, the error in the fourth for the remainder of the contest. He retired the final eight hitters he faced in order. He dodged a bullet in the first as Suffolk was able to load the bases with just one out but he would get out of the jam with a fielder's choice before recording a strikeout to end the threat.
Game Two: Suffolk 8 Norwich 7
Suffolk scored eight unanswered runs over the final three innings of play to erase a 7-0 deficit to walk-off with the victory. Collette drove in the game winning run with his third hit of the doubleheader to plate Tierney. Tierney entered the game as a pinch runner for junior Julien Plana (Miami, Fla.) who got the inning started with a single. Junior Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) followed him up with a base hit through the left side to start the threat.
Norwich would score four times in the third inning on five hits. Freshman Drew Caldwell (Hanover, Mass.) would start the inning with a base hit but would be retired on a fielder's choice. Senior Brandon Place (Concord, N.H.) would then hit a double deep into the left center gap to give Norwich a pair of runners in scoring position with just one out. Sophomore Lashawn Thomas (San Antonio, Tx.) would bring home the game's first runs as he doubled to make it a 2-0 ball game. With runners on the corners and one out a groundball back to mound would be misplayed to bring home another run before sophomore Matt Sirois (Southington, Conn.) capped the inning off with an RBI single.
Norwich would tack on three more runs in the fifth inning. Sophomore Kyle Lamorey (Northfield, Vt.) would add an RBI single as the Cadets brought two more runs home on wild pitches.
Suffolk would answer however in the home half of the fifth inning as they scored four times. Sophomore Luke Ronchi (Randolph, N.J.) and junior Drew Carter (Newburyport, Mass.) would lead things off with base hits, before Marks drove home Ronchi with an RBI base knock of his own. Sophomore BJ Neil (Lynnfield, Mass.) would score Carter with a groundout before Marks came home later in the inning on a passed ball. Lapolla would later double off the top of the left field fence to bring home a run making it a 7-4 game after five.
In the sixth, Carter would connect on his fourth home run of the season, a three run shot to left to even things up at 7-7.
Lapolla, Carter and Ronchi each had two hits in game two of the doubleheader as part of a 10-hit Suffolk attack. Lapolla and Collette each combined for three hits on the day.
Thomas was 2-for-4 in game two with a pair of runs scored and a pair of RBI. He was 3-for-6 in the two games combined.
Sophomore Wyatt Stanley (Placentia, Calif.) earned his first career collegiate victory as he pitched two scoreless innings of relief allowing just one baserunner on an infield error as he punched out three hitts.
Norwich drops to 7-14 on the season and 2-10 in conference play. They will host Johnson & Wales University on Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm.
Suffolk improves to 12-15 as they snap a short three game skid. They move to 8-4 in conference play and will round out the 2015 GNAC regular season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to St. Joseph's College for an 11:30am start to a doubleheader.