BEVERLY, Mass. – In a game that lasted just two hours and five minutes, the Endicott baseball team dropped a 3-1 decision to the visiting Worcester St. Lancers in non-conference action Friday afternoon at North Field.
Through his first five batters faced, Gulls’ freshman starter A.J. Hendrickson (Meriden, Conn.) recorded five outs on just 11 pitches before freshman centerfielder Mike Ferrara (Easton, Mass.) took Hendrickson deep to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second.
The Lancers tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth when junior catcher Brian Bonacquisiti’s (Pittsfield, Mass.) sacrifice fly to center field with one out plated freshman designated hitter George Bielizna (Danbury, Conn.), followed by freshman first baseman Matt Sabourin’s (Stow, Mass.) bunt single that squeezed home junior shortstop Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.).
Trailing 3-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth, Endicott was able to break up the shutout with junior pinch-hitter Cam Farnham‘s (Andover, Mass.) first double of the season as the ball soared into deep left field with no outs to bring home sophomore center fielder Nick Berno (St. Albans, Vt.) for the Gulls’ lone run of the day.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Hendrickson made his first collegiate start in his fourth overall appearance (1-1) as he was handed the loss today on four innings pitched, five hits, three runs, one walk and two strikeouts.
- Junior righty Colby Morris (Newburyport, Mass.) and classmate Eric Nagle (Manchester, Conn.) combined for five innings of two-hit ball in relief as they allowed just three baserunners, with singles in the seventh and ninth and Nagle’s hit batter in the ninth inning.
- Berno led the Gulls with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate and drew one walk as he scored the team’s only run.
- Junior third baseman Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.) had the Gulls’ only other extra-base hit on the day with his double down the left field line in the eighth inning.
FOR THE FOES
- Ferrara paced the squad with a 4-for-4 effort at the dish as the Lancers registered seven hits.
- Ferrara smacked his first career home run over the left field fence in the second inning to end Hendrickson’s perfect-game bid.
- Sophomore RHP Matt Irzyk (Westfield, Mass.) improved to 2-0 on the season as he went eight innings on the rubber and scattered five hits while allowing just one run as he walked two and sat down five by way of the K.
- Junior southpaw Andrew Reed (Douglas, Mass.) earned his first save on the year as he got all three outs in the ninth while giving up just one hit and struck out one.
NOTES
- Endicott is 7-7-1 all-time vs. Worcester St. and 6-4-1 at home in the all-time series dating back to the 1996 season as the two teams split this season’s two meetings.
- The Gulls have won the past three of the past four meetings, including a 5-1 victory at home in the most recent matchup before today on March 22, 2016 at North Field.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (9-7, 0-0 CCC) returns to action on Sunday, April 10 as the Gulls welcome Roger Williams University to North Field to open Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play at 12:00 p.m. Worcester St. (9-9, 0-0 MASCAC) hosts Westfield St. in a conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 9 with the first pitch set for 12:00 p.m.
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BEVERLY – The first-seeded Endicott men’s volleyball team moved one step closer to defending its New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) title on Friday evening with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-18) victory over fourth-seeded Elms College in the NECC Tournament semifinals at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Daniel Toth (Glenwood, N.J.) paced the Gulls offensively with 11 kills on 22 swings(.409 hitting percentage) to go along with two service aces, one assist, and four blocks. John Osborne (Freehold, N.J.) contributed nine kills (.421) and 11 digs, while Jeremy Doski (Sandy Hook, Conn.) added six kills. Alex Wasik (Milford, Mas.) and Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) also chipped in with five putaways, respectively.
Cameron Little (San Diego, Calif.) facilitated Endicott’s attack with 31 assists – in addition to six blocks – while Ryan Healy (Fair Lawn, N.J.) guided the back row with a match-high 12 digs.
Elms saw three student-athletes notch double-digit kill efforts in the loss, which included a match-high 17 from Gabriel Reis Levy (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Daniel Bondarovsky (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) posted 13 kills, seven digs, and three blocks, while Angel Castro (Carolina, Puerto Rico) rounded out the rest of the offensive highlights with a double-double on 11 kills and 10 digs. John Dunphy (Farmington, Conn.) ran the Blazers’ offense on 43 assists.
Elms pushed out to a 1-0 advantage in the match behind a set-high 16 kills – including eight alone by Reis Levy – and a set-high .250 hitting percentage in its 25-23 first-set victory. Endicott battled back in set two by navigating its way through 14 tied scores and four lead changes before evening the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 second-set triumph.
The Gulls then went on to capitalize on their newfound momentum by holding Elms to a .138 hitting percentage in set three and a negative-121 hitting percentage in set four for the eventual 3-1 victory. The last two sets only feature four tied scores and two lead changes, which all occurred in set four.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is now 3-0 this season against Elms, and 28-3 all-time versus the Blazers dating back to January 31, 2003.
- Chandler Tayek (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) helped sway momentum towards Endicott’s way with five digs and a perfect serve-receive percentage on the night.
- Healy went 14-for-14 on serve-receive, which included eight of them leading directly to kills, while six out of his team-high 12 digs also led to putaways for the Gulls.
- Endicott took advantage of 20 service errors by Elms. The Blazers have recorded 20 or more service errors in three matches this season (first loss of the year).
- Riorden held serve for seven straight points in set four (helped establish a 12-6 lead).
FOR THE FOES
- Qua’Sean Crowe (Stamford, Conn.) notched five kills (.625), two digs, and three blocks in the loss.
- Reis Levy has compiled 15 or more kills in a match four times this season.
WHAT’S NEXT
First-seeded Endicott (16-10) hosts third-seeded Daniel Webster (16-12) in the NECC Tournament championship game tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Elms’ season comes to a close at 12-12 overall
Information supplied by Endicott College Sports Information Office
