BEVERLY, Mass. – Suffolk baseball and Endicott traded runs and switched the lead a handful of times in the first game of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Pod Finals, which ended in the Gulls favor, 5-4, Saturday afternoon at North Field.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 4 | Endicott 5
RECORDS: Suffolk (11-11) | Endicott (14-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Extra base hits played a factor in the back-and-forth battle early on.
After Suffolk stranded a runner in the first and second stanza, respectively, Nickolas Perkins sent a solo shot to left center to give the Gulls a 1-0 gap.
A Rams response came in the top of the third. Christian Seariac worked a one out walk and trucked to third when Rich Gilbride barreled a double down the third base line. Blase Cormier collected an RBI on a fielder's choice to level the playing field at 1-all.
Endicott regained the lead in the home half of the third. Caleb Shpur knocked a base hit to third, stole second, and scored behind Kyle Brennan's double to left center to put the hosts ahead, 2-1.
Suffolk would take its first lead of the day in the top of the fourth thanks to Zack Aresty's moon shot to left field, which also plated Luke Harder, who singled to right. Aresty's home run gave the blue-and-gold a 3-2 3dge.
The see-saw action carried into the bottom of the fifth though and the score would equalize for the second time. This time Endicott used a sac fly from Brennan to lock things at 3-all.
Aresty followed up a scoreless sixth with another no-doubter. In the senior's third at bat of the day, he knocked the ball over the left field fence again to push the Rams ahead, 4-3.
The Gulls got the run back and added another to flip the script in their favor, 5-4. Joseph Millar let the ball fly deep into right field to even things up before Shpur, who followed the jack with a triple to the opposite side of the field, scored behind to Michael Bonnollo's single through the right side. Parker Browne took over for Steven Rossi and kept the Gulls from adding any insurance to hold onto the one-run game.
Suffolk saw a chance to comeback in the eighth as Cormier opened the inning with a base hit up the middle and Tim Brigham took a pitch off the elbow. Nichols Cannata controlled things from there as he retired the side to hold onto the cushion for the hosts.
Browne secured the first two outs in less than a handful of pitches and held onto his composure after walking Millar. The Rams reliever helped the Rams remain within one run as the game headed to the top of the ninth.
Aresty kept his hot streak going as the designated hitter registered a single to center to lead things off. Cannata fanned pinch hitter Gino Desimone swinging, but Seariac and Gilbride both singled to put all the ducks in the pond with the middle of Suffolk's order due up.
Cormier drew out a 3-2 count at bat. After fouling off two pitches the junior first baseman watched the pitch hit Brady Baldinger's glove anticipating it was outside the zone, but instead was rung up to bring up Brigham. The left fielder fouled off the first two pitches he faced before connecting on the third. He sent a one-hop bloop right back to Cannata, who went for the easy out at first, and sealed Suffolk's setback.
PITCHERS PICTURE
- Rossi took the setback after giving up all five runs on 10 hits and two walks with six strikeouts.
- Browne recorded 1.1 innings of scoreless, hitless relief with one walk and one K.
- Cannatta picked up the decision with 2.0 innings of scoreless work out of the pen. He allowed just four hits with one punchout to his credit.
- Max Tarlin secured the save in 0.2 frames of work with just one hit allowed to go along with one strikeout.
- Michael Kozlowski started on the hill and put together a four-run, nine-hit, one-walk, seven-strikeout outing in 6.1 innings.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Aresty had a standout showing at the plate. He went 3-for-4 with two home runs for three RBI and two runs scored.
- Gilbride contributed a 4-for-5 effort with one double.
- Birbiglia, Cormier and Seariac each supplied two hits.
- Harder and Seariac both scored one run.
- Harder had one hit.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk made its first-ever appearance in the CCC post-season.
- The Rams had two homers in the same game for the first time since matching that number in an 8-5 win over Saint Joseph's Maine April 28, 2018.
- Aresty is the first Ram to go yard twice in the same outing since Brady Chant '18 did so in a 5-3 decision over Brockport March 11, 2018.
- Aresty's homers were the first of his collegiate career.
- Aresty logged a personal-best three hits and matched a career-high in RBI (3) and runs scored (2).
- Gilbride produced a career-high four hits.
POST-GAME PIC
SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Suffolk looks to stay alive in the CCC playoffs as it takes on Endicott in the second game of the three-game series. The Rams will compete at the home team in a do-or-die battle.
