Ellis Leads Baseball to 1-0 Win in Game 1; SNHU Rallies for Split
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Left-hander Dylan
Ellis hurled a complete-game, four-hit shutout, snapping
Merrimack’s three-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over
Southern New Hampshire in game one of a doubleheader Saturday
afternoon at Warrior Field.
The Penmen rallied in the second game, scoring twice in the eighth
to win the second game 3-2 over the Warriors.
Ellis struck out eight Penmen and did not walk a batter to improve
to 4-1 on the season.
The Warriors had runners all over the bases, leaving 11 on base,
including seven in the first four innings. They pushed the lone run
across in the second when Bob McCarthy delivered a
two-out single up the middle to score Andrew
Johnson, who lined a one-out single to right center.
That was all Ellis needed as the left-hander retired 12 straight
from the second to the fifth inning. The leadoff batter reached
first on a fielding error to start the eighth, but Ellis recovered,
inducing the next batter to pop a bunt to Mike
Dooling, and he struck out the next two to retire the
side. The junior surrendered a two-out single in the ninth, but
struck out Scott Strong swinging to seal the victory.
Merrimack pushed a first-inning run across in game two as
Brendan Pyburn led off with a walk, stole second,
went to third on a throwing error and scored on a RBI groundout by
Ray Walker. They made it 2-0 in the fourth as
Jeff Bercume lined a lead off double, went to
third on a throwing error and scored on a single to left from
Tim Curran.
The Penmen put across their first run in 15 innings as Robert
Wronski hit an infield single to score Scott Strong in the sixth
with nobody out. But starter James Haughney
recovered and retired the next three batters in order, two
on strikeouts, to leave the potential tying and go-ahead runs in
scoring position.
Haughney may have run out of steam in the eighth as the Penmen
tied the game with two outs on a RBI single and then took the lead
with a double from Curtis Burke which scored Jeff Giannino with
what proved to be the winning run.
With two outs in the ninth, the Warriors attempted a rally as
P.J. Farnham walked and Pyburn beat out an infield
hit, but pinch hitter Ed Medeiros ended the game
with a grounder to short.
Haughney fell to 1-1 on the season, allowing three runs while
striking out ten in eight innings.
Derek Anderson got the win for the Penmen, as he struck out eight
and allowed just one earned run in 7.2 innings.
Merrimack (10-8, 1-3 NE-10) rounds out its series with the Penmen
Sunday in Manchester at 1 p.m.
