Endicott Walks Off With Senior Day Sweep, Ready for CCC Tournament

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BEVERLY, Mass. – Endicott baseball completed their 2012 regular season in style on Sunday afternoon, walking off in extra innings of the second game of a double header with a 5-4 win over UMass Boston after a 12-5 victory in game one that followed Senior Day festivities.

The Gulls (26-14) will now prepare for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament, which begins on Thursday, May 3^rd. Endicott, with a 12-4 CCC record, will be the \#2 seed in the tourney and will host Gordon College on Thursday at 3:00 pm.

The Beacons of UMass Boston close out their regular season dipping below the .500 mark, at 17-18-1.

Game 2

Conor Ressel (Rockport, Mass.) legged out an infield hit in the bottom of the eighth inning, allowing Michael Russo (Natick, Mass.) to score from second base and give Endicott a walk-off victory after the Gulls trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the first extra inning.
Down to their final out, the Gulls tied the game at four when Russo reached on an error by shortstop Jamill Moquette (Boston, Mass.) and first baseman Colin Sitarz (W. Hartford, Conn.), who had walked to lead off the inning ,came in to score.

As they had in each of the other games this weekend, Endicott scored in the first inning of game two. This time they jumped out to a 2-0 advantage, thanks to singles by third baseman Danny Mello (Peabody, Mass.) and Tad Gold (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.). Gold, the center fielder, scored Mello with a hit to right field, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Sitarz.
Endicott added another run in the fourth thanks to a single by outfielder Ralph Fidaleo (Fairfield, Conn.).

The Beacons came back to score four straight runs, forcing extra innings and taking a short-lived lead in the top of the eighth.

After two walks in the fifth, center fielder Mark McCormack (Shelton, Conn.) got the rally started with an RBI single to plate Wilberto Sanjuro (Boston, Mass.). The Beacons tied the game in the sixth on an RBI single by catcher Taylor Kapulka (Worcester, Mass.) and a ground out by third baseman Mike Mattei (Spencer, Mass.).

Mattei delivered another blow in the eighth, singling to left to score Nick Grassetti (Agawam, Mass.), but Endicott reliever John Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn.) got the next two batters to strike out, ending the UMass Boston threat and keeping the deficit at one run.

Morrison got the victory for the Gulls, pitching two and two-thirds of an inning and surrendering the one unearned run in the eighth on four hits. Morrison also picked up four strikeouts in his work while improving to 2-0 on the year.

Starter Brendan Pittsley (Plympton, Mass.) went four and a third innings of two-hit ball and allowed the only earned run in the game for Endicott pitching.

Jeff Thomas (Redwood City, Calif.) pitched the final two and two-thirds innings of play, allowing two unearned runs on two hits. He came on in relief of Greg Dubela (Stratham, N.H.), who allowed three runs on four hits and struck out four batters.

The Beacons outhit Endicott 8-6, with neither lineup boasting a player with a multiple-hit game. Each team made three errors and, as a result, six unearned runs were scored between the teams.
 
Game 1

Endicott had a 9-1 lead by the end of the second inning after batting around and plating six runs in the first. All ten starters had hits for the Gulls, with Mello at lead-off having a 2-3 day with two RBI’s and two runs scored.

The Gulls got singles from Mello, Gold, Russo and shortstop E.J. Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and took advantage of two wild pitches and two walks to score four runs and chase starting pitcher Ryan Augustine (Burlington, Conn.) after just a third of an inning.

Fidaleo reached on a fielders choice and he and Russo came in to score two more runs when catcher Chase Sullivan (Cumberland, R.I.) hit a fly ball to left that was not dealt with by Ty Buccetti (Wallingford, Conn.).

Center fielder Luke Fischetti (Liverpool, N.Y.) got a run back for the Beacons in the top of the second, singling home right fielder Kyle Thebado (Marlborough, Mass.). Fischetti had one of the best days at the plate for UMass Boston, a 2-4 showing with a RBI and two runs scored.

Endicott added to their lead in the second, which was led off by a single from designated hitter Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.). Lemke would take home on a double-steal with Gold , who walked and then swiped second base. Freshman second baseman Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.) also singled in the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Martinez.

Two more runs in the third, sparked by a ground rule double by Mello down the left field line, and a sac fly by Mello in the fourth to score Martinez, was more than all the scoring the Gulls would need for the day.

The Beacons got two-run hits in the fifth and seventh innings but could not close the gap any tighter. The first was a single by first baseman Pat Lynch (Middletown, R.I.) and the second a double by designated hitter Matt Consiglio (Southbury, Conn.). Moquette and Fischetti came across the plate on both of the plays.

Endicott starter Tyler Hill (Plymouth, N.H.) improved to 2-1 after pitching five and two thirds innings and letting up three runs on three hits while striking out four Beacons.

Augustine falls to 1-1 after walking two and allowing four hits and six runs and not making it out of the first inning. Freshman Patrick Austin (Torrington, Conn.) pitched well in relief for the Beacons, tossing the final two innings and allowing just one hit while collecting a strikeout.