NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Southern Vermont College baseball team lost a wild one 9-8 after scoring five runs in the ninth on the road against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Thursday night at the Joe Zavattaro Complex. The MCLA bullpen nearly handed the game to SVC as Dave Gage knocked a single to leftfield that drove in two runs, Pat Warrington had an RBI single, and Eric Wells homered to tie the game at 8-8 in the ninth.
The Trailblazers were in cruise control much of the afternoon behind starter Josh Gould.
MCLA scored at least a run in the first three frames as it built a 6-0 lead. MCLA added another before Southern Vermont finally got to Gould for a couple in the sixth inning.
In the second with the Trailblazers already up 2-0, Mike Meaney continued his hot hitting delivering a two run single scoring John Ripepi and Evan Frank. An inning later an RBI single by Frank and a sac fly by Ripepi put MCLA up comfortably.
Southern Vermont got two in the sixth and one in the eighth to make the score 8-3 heading into the top of the ninth. The Mountaineers would score five runs (three earned) off Trailblazers pitches James Greeley in the ninth and could have had more. Greeley walked two in the inning and had two wild pitches to help move Southern Vermont around the bases.
Singles by Dave Gage and Pat Warrington helped make it an 8-7 game and put the tying run (Warrington) on first with one out and Eric Wells at the plate. However, a quick move to first by Greeley caught Warrington off the bag and he was picked off for the second out. That was important for the Trailblazers as the Mountaineers leading hitter Wells took the next pitch out to tie the game at 8. Greeley retired the next hitter, allowing MCLA with a chance to win it with a run in the ninth.
MCLA wasted not time off Wells who took over on the hill in the bottom of the ninth. Osiris Mendez led off with a wind aided double and pinch runner Joe Duncan was quickly advanced to third on a sacrifice by Bobby Beauchesne. Duncan would score one batter later on Brendan Wyand's third hit of the day an RBI single to left.
Adam Northrup had two hits on the day including a home run for the Mountaineers. Meaney had three hits and walked once, while Mendez had a couple hits and a run scored.
Greeley picked up the win for MCLA and Wells took the loss for Southern Vermont. MCLA starter Gould pitched well going six innings allowing two runs on four hits; and struck out seven.
The Mountaineers will face conference foe the Mitchell College Mariners on Saturday starting at 12:00PM.