Endicott Shocked by Ninth-Inning Walk-Off by UMass Boston

BROCKTON, Mass. – The Endicott baseball team, with three walk-off wins to their credit in 2015 including two in the past week, were the victims of a two-out, two-run homerun by UMass Boston junior first baseman Daniel Bonito (Swampscott, Mass.) in the bottom of the ninth that lifted the Beacons to an 8-7 victory over the Gulls at Campanelli Stadium Monday evening.  

Endicott (22-15) held a 6-2 lead after senior captain Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.) blasted his first career grand slam in the top of the fourth, but UMB got three runs back in the bottom of the fifth on RBI hits by Bryan Dupre (Chicopee, Mass.) and Todd Ezold (Westfield, Mass.) and a fielder's choice grounder to shortstop by Anthony Searles (Shelton, Conn.).

The Beacons (18-13) pulled to within one at 6-5 with a single run in the bottom of the sixth after a RBI single to center off the bat of junior shortstop Trevor Bouvier (Salem, N.H.) but Endicott pushed the lead back up to two in the top of the seventh as Endicott senior catcher Chase Sullivan (Cumberland, R.I.) hit a sacrifice fly to right that was deep enough to score fellow senior Michael Cahill (Plymouth, Mass.) from third. Cahill had doubled to the gap in right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

UMB would again make it a one-run game in the bottom of the seventh on a Searles single up the middle that scored Daniel Mantoni (Northbridge, Mass.) from second base. Later in the inning, Bouvier hit a single to right that looked to score a pinch-runner from second base but Gulls freshman right fielder Dan Zabbo (Dracut, Mass.) fired a one-hopper on a line to Sullivan at home who applied the tag for the final out of the seventh. The outfield assist by Zabbo preserved a 7-6 Endicott lead.

Gulls sophomore pitcher Eric Nagle (Manchester, Conn.), despite committing an error and allowing a hit in the bottom of the eighth, was able to escape the jam with no damage done by forcing an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play. Nagle remained in the game in the bottom of the ninth and got the first out on a groundball to short before Searles singled to center. After a fielder's choice grounder to first made it two down with a man on first, Bonito delivered the walk-off dramatics on a 3-2 offering from Nagle over the right centerfield wall to end the game.

UMB senior Josh Cummiskey (Lowell, Mass.) earned the win after throwing the final 1 1/3 innings. Gulls senior lefty Zac Poland (Essex Junction, Vt.) pitched the first five innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. His counterpart Sal Frosceno (Derby, Conn.) was tagged for five earned runs over 3 1/3 innings pitched.

Oringer finished the game 1-for-3 with a homerun, three runs scored, two walks, and three stolen bases. Junior designated hitter Anthony Serina (Portsmouth, R.I.), junior shortstop Cody Hall (Rutland, Vt.), and sophomore centerfielder Cam Farnham (Andover, Mass.) all had two hits in the loss.