MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Ken Morrisino (East Longmeadow, Mass.) cranked a three-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Saint Anselm College baseball team suffered a 10-7 setback to visiting Saint Michael's College on Wednesday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action in Manchester, N.H.
Box Score
The Hawks (8-29, 3-12 NE-10 NE) received 2-for-3 days from Matthew Flynn (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Max Wadington (Burlington, Conn.), while Flynn scored a pair of runs. Paul Trabucco (Salem, N.H.) and John Marculitis (Shrewsbury, Mass.) each went 1-for-3, with Dan Bodi (Westford, Mass.) and Tyler McKeon (Rutland, Mass.) each going 1-for-1 with a run scored.
Autrey Gates (Pembroke, N.H.) took the defeat for the Hawks, tossing 4.2 innings and allowing eight runs (four earned) on 11 hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. Zane Byrne (Franklin, Mass.) pitched 3.1 innings and gave up one unearned run on three hits with two strikeouts. Clayton Welch (Manchester, N.H.) pitched the ninth and allowed a run on two hits with one strikeout.
Alex Holt and Drew Salk combined to go 6-for-10 with two RBI and four runs scored to lead the Saint Michael's (3-24, 2-12 NE-10 NE) offense. Joe Robertson, Peter Bocchino and Dan Flynn each had multi-hit days for the Purple Knights. Peter Cross picked up his second win of the season, pitching 8.1 innings and throwing 144 pitches while giving up seven runs (three earned) on nine hits with eight strikeouts.
The Hawks struck first in the bottom of the opening inning as Saint Anselm took advantage of a couple of miscues by the visitors. After Flynn led off the inning with a walk, he moved to third when Nick Bragole (Newburyport, Mass.) reached on a passed ball after a strikeout. With runners on the corners, Paul Trabucco rolled a grounder to the hole at short, allowing Flynn to score to put the Hawks on top 1-0.
Saint Michael's jumped on top 2-1 when Peter Bocchino hit an RBI double to left-center that plated Drew Salk in the top of the second. Bocchino then came around to score on an RBI single by Matt Downing.
The Hawks answered right back in their half of the second as Marculitis drove in Allan McQuarrie (Salem, N.H.) with an RBI double off the wall in right-center. Saint Anselm took advantage of another Purple Knights error as Flynn and Marculitis came home to score on a misstep by the Saint Michael's first baseman, giving the Hawks a 4-2 lead.
The Purple Knights would respond by scoring two runs apiece in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to jump on top 8-4, while holding the Hawks to just one hit through the sixth inning.
In the seventh, Wadington and Flynn led off the inning with back-to-back singles, but Flynn was canceled out on a double play and Wadington was stranded at third to end the inning.
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, McKeon and Bodi reached base on two-straight singles before Morrisino cleared the bases with a bomb to right field to cut the deficit to 10-7. Morrisino's first homerun of the year chased Cross from the game, but Drew Farris came in to strike out the final two batters of the game to close out the win for the visitors.
The Hawks continue their seven game home stand tomorrow afternoon when they host #8 Franklin Pierce University at 3:30 p.m. in a Northeast-10 Conference matchup.
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