EASTLAKE, Ohio — The No. 1 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team rallied late to overcome a four-run deficit and walk off against No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer, 7-6, on Saturday morning at Classic Park.
WP (4-0): Kyan Bagshaw (Amherst, N.H.) — 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
LP (6-4): Eric Prough (Walnut Creek, Calif.) — 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
The Sagehens jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Charlie Hale (Brookline,
N.H.) responded by throwing up a zero the following frame.
In the bottom of the second, the Gulls offense got to work. TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine) led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield, and advanced to second on Robbie Wladkowski‘s (Norwood hard-fought base on balls. The two then moved up a base on John Mulready‘s (Peabody) groundout to shortstop, putting runners on second and third with just one out.
Joey Frammartino (North Reading) provided the clutch two-out RBI hit the Gulls have been searching for, as he sent one through the right side of the infield to score Wladkowski and Mulready, handing the Gulls their first lead (2-1) of the CWS.
After a scoreless third inning from both sides, the Sagehens regained the lead with a five-spot in the top of the fourth.
In the fifth, Evan Scully (Maynard) entered with the bases loaded and two out. He managed to strand all three inherited runners via a groundout to Wladkowski to keep the Gulls within striking distance.
A Brendan O’Neil (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) RBI groundout got the Gulls back witihin three (6-3) through five full innings.
Scully tossed two more scoreless frames to hold down the Pomona-Pitzer offense, setting the table for a late Endicott rally.
Liponis sparked the eighth inning rally once again with a one-out single into center field. Two batters later, he was plated via Mulready’s RBI double into the right field corner, getting the Gulls back within two.
After Mulready was pinch-ran for by James Benestad (Northborough, Mass.), Elijah Moses (Haverhill) drove a clutch pinch-hit single up the middle to score Benestand and make it a one-run game heading into the ninth.
The tandem of Brady Stuart (Hudson) and Bagshaw combined to toss a scoreless ninth and brought the Gulls back up to the plate for a chance to tie or win the game.
Dylan Pacheco (Dartmouth) was crucial to the ninth-inning rally, as he lined a double into the left center gap just beyond the dive of the Sagehens’ left fielder, setting the stage for “Playoff Nota” in a clutch spot.
“When I got in the box, I was just trying to treat it like any other at-bat…. I was just looking to put a ball in play to the right side, and thankfully I got it,” said Nicolas Notarangelo (Taunton) about his ninth-inning at-bat.
Sure enough, the senior outfielder got his pitch and drove it into the right field corner for a game-tying RBI double, evening the score at six apiece.
Danny MacDougall (Taunton) laid down a sac bunt to advance Notarangelo to third base, putting the winning run just 90 feet away.
O’Neil and Liponis were each intentionally walked to set up a bases loaded, one-out opportunity for Wladkowski.
On the first pitch, the junior third baseman lined one to shortstop. The shortstop made a sprawling play to prevent the walk-off single, but his throw to the plate sailed by the catcher, allowing Notarangelo to slide in with the game-winning run.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This was the sixth all-time meeting between Endicott and Pomona-Pitzer. The Gulls hold the edge in the series with a 4-2 record.
- Hannoh Seo (Los Angeles, Calif.), the Sagehens’ starting pitcher, was named an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Third Team All-American this past Thursday.
- Scully has not allowed an inherited runner to score in his last 14 chances (five appearances). He has entered with the bases loaded on seven occasions this season, and has only allowed four of those 21 total inherited runners to score.
- In the ninth inning of the 2024 season, Notarangelo is 5-for-7 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles. He’s slashed .714 AVG / .778 OBP / 1.000 SLG in those plate appearances.
- Entering today, Hale ranked third nationally among freshman pitchers with an ERA of 2.37.
WHAT’S NEXT
No. 1 Endicott (47-3) faces the loser of No. 11/13 Misericordia vs. Lynchburg at 11 AM tomorrow in another elimination game. With today’s loss, No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer’s season comes to a close.
(Photo Credit – David Le ’10)
