MCC sweeps Mercyhurst in home opener
Hopkins helps the Tribs walk off in the opener; DiBenedetto shines in nightcap.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final (8) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
|
|
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 3 | 2 | 0 |
ROCHESTER - Finally at home after a 13-game season-opening road trip, the MCC baseball team kicked off the northern portion of its schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Mercyhurst North East Tuesday afternoon.
The Tribunes won 3-2 in eight innings in game one, and 3-0 in game two to improve to 7-8 on the season. The Saints fell to 4-3.
Monroe prevailed in walkoff fashion in the opener, as Ellington Hopkins singled in Rayshelon Carolina in the bottom of the eighth to win it. The Saints had tied the score at 2 with a run in the top of the seventh to force extra innings.
The nightcap was all about pitching. Three Tribune hurlers combined to keep Mercyhurst off the board and the offense did enough to get the win.
The teams traded single runs in the first inning of the opener. After the Saints jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top half, Monroe answered by manufacturing a run in the bottom. Carolina walked and moved to second on a sacrifice by Jimmy Latona. After a wild pitch, Hopkins scored Carolina with a groundball to the right side.
MCC took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Hopkins singled and moved up 90 feet on a sac bunt from Aaron Endres. After a flyout, Connor Lewis came through with a two-out base hit to plate Hopkins.
The Tribs carried that lead into the seventh, but a pair of walks and a double tied the score.
Carolina got things started again in the eighth for Monroe, getting hit by a pitch. He then moved up on Latona's second successful sacrifice of the ballgame. Hopkins then lofted a single to right, and Carolina slid in ahead of the tag at the plate to win it.
Tom Mastrodonato got the win in relief, striking out three over an inning and two thirds. Dylan Sheffer started for Monroe, allowing two runs and five hits over 6 1/3. Hopkins had two hits and two RBIs and Lewis and Brett Sanders also had a pair of hits.
MCC prevailed in the nightcap despite just two hits on the game. Nick DiBenedetto got the job done on the hill, allowing two hits while striking out seven over five scoreless innings of work. Blaine Farrell pitched a scoreless sixth, and Ryan Quackenbush worked around a pair of hits to retire the Saints in the seventh for his second save.
The Tribunes took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Mike DiStefano scored from third on a wild pitch. MCC then padded the lead with two more in the fifth.
Tim Segrue led off with a base hit and Sanders followed with a walk. Carolina then sacrificed the runners to second and third. Another walk to Latona loaded the bases.
Hopkins then reached on a fielder's choice to plate a run. The return throw to first was wide, allowing another run to score for a 3-0 lead.
Segrue and Lewis had MCC's only hits in the nightcap.