Gulls Rally Past Monarch's, 6-5
March 20, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - The Endicott College baseball team rallied from behind by scoring three runs in the eighth inning, as the Gulls pushed past Methodist University, 6-5, on Tuesday afternoon in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
The Gulls got off to a rocky start as a sloppy first inning quickly put the Blue and Green in a 3-0 hole. Methodist senior Matt Hunt (Lumberton, NC/Lumberton) led the inning off with a single to centerfield. Following a walk and a sacrifice bunt, the Monarchs had two runners in scoring position with only one out. Hunt displayed his leadoff speed as the senior stole home in what turned out to be a wild pitch, while the runner at second came all the way around to score on the Gulls miscue. Methodist continued to play small ball as a sacrifice bunt followed by an RBI single from Brad Davis (Aberdeen, NC/Pinecrest) gave the home team a 3-0 lead.
Endicott got on the board in the fourth inning, as Ryan Scanlon (Lowell, MA/Lowell) and Joe Paciello (Worcester, MA/St. Peter Marian) put together back-to-back singles for the Gulls. Freshman Blake Wessel (Blue Hill, ME/George Stevens Academy) singled through the left side to drive in a run, making the score 3-1 Methodist.
EC and MU each notched a pair of runs in the seventh, only to have Endicott respond with a three-run eighth. Ryan Scanlon singled to the right side and then advanced to third after a walk and a wild pitch. Following another base on balls, Blake Wessel hit a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Scanlon. Junior Tom Warner (Contoocook, NH/Hopkinton) then doubled to left center to drive in two, putting the Gulls ahead for good, 6-5.
The Monarch's had opportunities to score in both the eighth and ninth innings, however Adam Labbe (Litchfield, ME/Oak Hill Regional) was able to hold on for the save. Dave Weinreich (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) earned the win for the Gulls.
With the victory, Endicott ups their record to 2-1 while Methodist falls to 14-7. Next up for the Gulls is a 2:00 PM contest with Averett University in Danville, VA on Wednesday.