Box Score HARWICH, Mass. -- Eastern Connecticut State University returned to the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament Wednesday after a two-year hiatus. Following an uninspired 4-3, 11-inning loss to eighth-seeded Mitchell College, the top-seeded Warriors will need to return to work beginning Thursday in order to avoid their appearance from being a cameo.
At right: Nik Ververis
Wednesday, in its 33rd NCAA appearance since 1976, Eastern (32-8) was stymied by Mitchell (24-12-1) sophomore ace Tyler Shamas for 8 2/3 innings, commited five errors, stranded 15 runners and left the winning run on third base in the bottom of the tenth inning as the Mariners knocked the Warriors into a survival game Thursday at 9:30 a.m. against No. 5 seeded MIT (24-14). The Engineers commited four errors of their own in Endicott's four-run fourth inning and lost a 6-4 decision to the fourth-seeded Gulls.
Eastern entered play riding its second ten-game winning streak of the season and had won 26 of 30 since returning from Florida.
Ranked tenth nationally, Eastern never led in its first meeting ever with Mitchell, but erased one-run deficits three times before the Mariners went ahead for good in the top of the 11th by scoring an unearned run on an infield single up the middle that was mishandled, allowing Rafael Garcia (one-out double) to race home from second with the tie-breaking run.
After tying the game in the bottom of the tenth on a bases-loaded walk, Eastern threatened again in the bottom of the 11th when senior shortstop and Brendan Lynch (Wethersfield) and senior leftfielder Nik Ververis (Plainfield) singled with one out (Eastern's first back-to-back hits since the bottom of the first), but freshman righty Axel DeJesus got junior pinch hitter Adam Roderick (West Hartford) to fly to center on the first pitch for the second out, and third baseman Garcia made a nice play on senior first baseman Gavin Lavallee's (New Milford) ground ball, his throw nipping the runner at first to end the game.
Senior righties Greg Porter (Mystic) and Pat Barnett (Windsor) allowed only eight hits and two runs before the ball was given to sophomore righty closer Andrew Merritt (Seymour) in a tie game with runners on and one out in the ninth. Merritt (2-2) stranded the go-ahead run on third with a three-pitch strikeout of Ryan Goodwin. In the bottom of the inning a botched Eastern double steal sent the game to the tenth.
Both teams scored in the tenth, Mitchell pushing across an unearned run on an infield error and back-to-back singles by Kennth Olszewski and Marc Dorsi (Ververis keeping the game deadlocked with a terrific inning-ending diving grab in left).
Eastern answered back with the tying run in the bottom of the tenth, but couldn't capitalize on a golden opportunity to win the game. Ververis (two doubles, two walks and three runs scored) walked on a 3-2 pitch to open the inning against lefty Troy Stango. A pinch sacrifice bunt by Roderick and Lavallee's single chased Stango in favor of DeJesus. Junior rightfielder Kyle Hart (Guilford) and sophomore catcher Tim Budd (Cheshire) were then walked to force in the tying run. With the game on the line, DeJesus got a force at home for the second out, and after falling behind 3-2 on the next batter, induced an inning-ending comebacker on a full count.
Merritt sustained the loss but extended his season streak to 26 innings this year with allowing an earned run. He was charged with two unearned runs.
Lavallee, who hit an important home run in the Warriors' one-run win over the University of Southern Maine Saturday in the LEC final, reached safely four times Wednesday with two singles, a hit-by-pitch and walk. His RBI single in the eighth against Mitchell tied the game at 2-all and he helped build the tying run in the tenth with a single.
"We're not in an uncomfortable situation," maintained Lavallee after Wednesday's shocker. "We're been in this situation before, coming off a tough loss. It's just baseball. The measure of a good team," insisted the senior, "is how you respond."
Eastern defeated MIT, 4-1, May 1 at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. With a win against the Engineers, the Warriors will avoid their first two-game losing streak of 2014.
