Ellis Two-Hit Shutout puts Baseball One Win from NE-10 Championship Game
Live Webcast
(4:00pm)
RINDGE, NH – In his fourth complete game of the year,
senior Dylan Ellis
(Gloucester, MA) threw a two-hit shutout to help the
Merrimack College baseball team (21-17) eliminate the University of
New Haven 4-0 on Pappas Field at Franklin Pierce University Friday
in the Northeast-10 Championship.
Ellis, who improved to 4-4, threw eight strikeouts on the
afternoon and walked just four batters in 9.0 innings.
“[Ellis] is just a horse,” said head coach
Joe Sarno following the second tournament game win
for Merrimack in 10 years. “When we got Dylan four runs
of support, you knew we'd be tough to beat at that point.”
At 2-0 in the Northeast-10 Championship, the Warriors advance to
Stonehill at noon Saturday after the Skyhawks upset Franklin Pierce
5-1.
Sparking a second inning in which all the game's runs were
scored, sophomore Tim Curran (Weymouth,
MA) belted his first home run (solo) of the season to
break the scoreless tie, giving way to four runs on four hits in
the second frame.
“Tim's home run is just what we needed to get
started,” said Sarno. “We've really learned how
to win in the last few weeks and it's not a matter of who is on the
other bench because we have confidence.”
The Warriors threatened later in the second inning after an
Ed
Medeiros (Seekonk, MA) bloop-hit dropped on the right
field line to advance Ray Walker (Lowell,
MA) who had previously drawn a one-out walk.
Sophomore Brett Julian
(Weymouth, MA) would bring Medeiros and Walker home on a
single up the middle to give the Warriors a 3-0 edge in the early
going. Julian would come home in the next at-bat when
freshman Mark O'Flynn (Ipswich,
MA) drove a single up the middle to give the Warriors a
4-0 lead.
The Chargers posed their first threat in the bottom of the third
when the bases were walked full, but Ellis retired the side without
a run being scored.
With their 21st win of the season on Friday—the
most in program history since 1999 (23) when the Warriors were
championship finalists against Bryant—Merrimack's 2010 mark
of 21-17 coincidentally matches their all-time mark in the
Northeast-10 Championship at 21-17. The Warriors have also
clinched their first season over .500 since 1997 (20-17).
With four teams remaining in the Championship, Merrimack is now
one win shy of earning a championship berth for the first time
since 1999. In the month of May, Merrimack has now won
five-of-five Conference contests.
In game one Friday between #1 Southern Connecticut (1-1) and #5
Adelphi (0-2), the Owls came away with a 9-8 win after giving up a
5-2 lead. With the win, Southern will play the loser of
Franklin Pierce/Stonehill on Saturday at 3:30pm.
NE-10 Championship Summary
Thursday, May 6
Game
1: (6) Merrimack 5,
(1) So. Conn. St. 2
Game 2: (2) Franklin Pierce 6, (5)
Adelphi 5
Game 3: (4) Stonehill 4, (3)
New Haven 1
Friday, May 7
Game 4: So. Conn. St.
(1-1) 9 vs. Adelphi
(0-2) 8
Game 5: Merrimack (2-0)
4 vs. New Haven (0-2) 0
Game 6: Franklin Pierce (1-1) 1 vs.
Stonehill (2-0) 5 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 8
Game
7: Merrimack vs. Stonehill – noon
p.m.
Game 8: So. Conn. St. vs. Franklin
Pierce – 3:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 7
Loser – 7 p.m
Sunday, May 8
Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 9
Winner – noon
Game 11: Game 10 rematch* - 30
minutes after Game 10
* Game 11 only necessary if Game 9
Winner wins Game 10
