EAST BOSTON – Suffolk baseball scored seven unanswered including a five-run fifth, to break a tied score and rally past Gordon, 14-8, Tuesday afternoon in CCC action at East Boston Memorial Park. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 14 | Gordon 8
RECORDS: Suffolk (18-15, 4-8 CCC) | Gordon (6-24, 2-9 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Things were locked at seven-all as the game headed to the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Shane Lake powered a full-count single to left field to push the go-ahead run around. A double steal during Jonny Gilbride's at bat set up the short stop's two-run two-bagger to left field before back-to-back Gordon hiccups let a pair of Rams come in. The rally saw Suffolk score five and go ahead 12-7.  

Another two-out rally came for the host in the home half of the sixth. Marc Birbiglia kept the inning alive with a double down the left field line and Luke Harder wore a pitch to put two ducks in the pond for Blase Cormier. Cormier took the first pitch he saw from Jalen Coyne-Martinez and rocked a double to right center to extend the blue-and-gold's advantage to 14-7.

Casey Sullivan, who took over for George Breslin in the fourth, commanded the mound over the seventh and eighth to keep the comfortable cushion in the Rams' favor.  

In the ninth, the Fighting Scots fought back, juiced the backs and a managed to tack on a tally on Andrew Hartman's bases loaded infield single. Sullivan showed his experience and composure as the senior secured the next two outs with swinging Ks to lock up the conference victory.  

To open the day Suffolk put up three runs on the first thanks to four hits including extra-base knocks by Garret Roberts and Birbiglia. Action turned into a see-saw affair as Gordon got the lead, 4-3, in the next half inning, and the Rams restored its edge in the bottom of the second behind Christian Seariac's two-run double.  

The teams continued to trade runs in the third. The Fighting Scots scored three to put Suffolk in a 7-5 hole and the Rams responded with two runs when it was their turn at the plate. Birbirglia tripled down the right field line to plate Harry Painter, who led off with a single to center, before he scored himself on Harder's sac fly to center.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Sullivan secured the win on the hill behind an impressive relief outing. The senior southpaw logged a one-run, five-hit, three-walk, nine-strikeout effort over 6.0 innings of work. 
• Breslin started on the rubber for the Rams. He let up seven runs, all earned, on six hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 3.0 frames of action. 
• Charlie Perdue suffered the setback after allowing five runs, three earned, on two hits and two walks in 2.0 innings of relief. 
• Gordon's starter, Brandon Bloom, went just 1.1 inning. He let up five runs on five hits.
• Jacob Hitchock (2 R, 4 H, 1 K, 1.2 IP) and Coyne-Martinez (2 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 3.0 IP) saw action in relief.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Birbiglia was perfect at the dish with a 3-for-3 performance. The left fielder had all extra base hits with two doubles and one triple. He brought in two runs and scored four times himself. 
• Seariac went 3-for-4 with a double. He collected three RBI and scored one run. 
• Lake logged a 2-for-2 performance with two runs scored and one RBI. 
• Gilbride contributed two hits highlighted by a double with two RBI and two runs scored. 
• Harder notched two RBI on one hit and scored twice.
• Cormier chipped in two RBI and one hit. 
• Roberts recorded a triple and scored twice.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk took a 5-4 edge in the all-time series with Gordon. 
• The blue-and-gold has outscored the Fighting Scots, 50-15 in the last three games. 
• Suffolk remains unbeaten, 3-0, when hosting Gordon. 
• All nine games between Suffolk and the Fighting Scots have taken place in the Anthony Del Prete era. 
• Birbiglia notched a personal-best in runs scored (4) and tied a career-high three hits. 
• Sullivan struck out a career-high nine batters over the most innings he worked in a single outing in his career.
• Gilbride (13 games), Harder (five games), Painter (10 games) and Seariac (six games) extended their hit streaks.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk heads to Tufts tomorrow, Wednesday, April 27 for a 3 p.m. non-conference contest.