The Suffolk University Baseball team defeated Johnson & Wales University 7-5 to open the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) double elimination round at Scots Miracle Gro Complex in Providence, RI on Thursday evening.
Senior Frank Tierney (Hyde Park, Mass.) improved to 4-0 on the mound on the year as he went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five. Junior Cal Carroll (Methuen, Mass.) escaped a jam in the ninth to preserve the victory earning his third save of the season.
With the victory the third-seeded Suffolk will now advance to Saturday's semifinal round in the winner's bracket against top seed Saint Joseph's College at 1:00pm.
The 2015 GNAC Tournament will now move to historic Holman Stadium in Nashua, New Hampshire beginning on Saturday.
Suffolk jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top half of the second inning. Junior Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) led the inning off with a single to left before being retired on a fielder's choice in the next at bat. Senior Adam Johnson (Georgetown, Mass.) would later single before sophomore BJ Neil (Lynnfield, Mass.) reached on the third base hit of the inning to load things up. Freshman Brady Chant (Warwick, R.I.) would plate the game's first run with a base hit to left, before junior Julien Plana (Miami, Fla.) made it a 2-0 game with an RBI groundout.
Johnson & Wales would answer in the home half of the third inning. Senior Rob Bochetti (East Meadow, N.Y.) would single to right center to lead off the inning before senior Kory Ferullo (Rochester, N.H.) doubled to give the Wildcats a pair of runners in scoring position. After a walk to load the bases, sophomore Carlos Sanabria (Pawtucket, R.I.) drove in the first run of the game for Johnson & Wales with a sacrifice fly to right. A breaking ball in the dirt would get away as Ferullo came around to even up the game. Tierney however would escape any further damage striking out the next two hitters with the game at a 2-2 deadlock through three innings.
Chant would put Suffolk up by a run in the fourth as he scored on a passed ball after singling with two outs to keep the inning alive.
Suffolk would tack on two more runs in the sixth in large part to a pair of Wildcats' errors. Junior Drew Carter (Newburyport, Mass.) would lead the inning off with a base hit back up the middle before advancing on a wild pitch. Johnson would attempt to move him over to third with a sacrifice bunt but the errant throw would go down the right field line allowing Carter to score. Later with runners on second and third Plana would hit a ground ball to third as Johnson tried to score. The throw would sail over the catcher's head bringing home another run making it a 5-2 game.
Suffolk would tack on some insurance in the eighth as senior JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) drove in a pair of runs with a double to deep right scoring freshman pinch runner Seth Coiley (Arlington, Mass.) and junior Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.). The scoring would start as both Plana and Lapolla drew walks with two outs to extend the inning.
Johnson & Wales would not go quietly as they brought three runs across in the ninth. Sophomore Lou Umberto (Cranston, R.I.) would start the threat as he singled into right. Bochetti would follow him with a single, before Ferullo doubled down the right field line to score Umberto. Junior Andrew Hunton (Monroe, N.Y.) would then drop a double down the left field line to plate another run and chase freshman reliever David Apostolides (Peabody, Mass.) from the game. Carroll would enter as Sanabria connected on his second sacrifice fly of the game to left field to make it a 7-5 game. Junior Tom Elkow (Morganville, N.J.) would extend the inning with a base hit up the middle, but Carroll would record the final out of the game and preserve the win.
Johnson & Wales put together a 10-hit attack in the game as Bochetti and Ferullo each had three hits a piece. Both players also scored twice. Umberto was also 2-for-4 in the setback.
Junior Jake Marchessault (Wyoming, R.I.) went 7 2/3 on the mound for the Wildcats as he allowed seven runs, five earned on 10 hits while recording five strikeouts.
Chant and Neil were each 2-for-5 for Suffolk. Eight of the nine players in the lineup recorded at least one hit. Lapolla was 1-for-2 with a run scored while also drawing two walks.
With the loss Johnson & Wales moves to a 17-13 record on the season. The second seed Wildcats will now play number four seed Lasell College at 10:00am in the elimination game on Saturday. Lasell fell to St. Joe's 7-0 in their quarterfinals matchup.
Suffolk moves to a 15-16 overall record on the year. They will matchup with the Monks for the 16th team in a GNAC Tournament game on Saturday since the 2008 season.