WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. (May 23, 2024) – It wasn't easy. In fact, it was a grind, but it got the job done. Two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning allowed the top-seeded Sacred Heart University baseball team to pull out a 5-4 victory over sixth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson on Thursday afternoon, at the second day of the NEC Championship.
Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) clubbed a pivotal, three-run homer early, and
Michael Simonelli (Milford, Conn.) chased home the eventual winning run with an RBI fielder's choice at Heritage Financial Park.
With the win, Sacred Heart (34-21) will advance to play at noon on Friday, against the winner of Thursday's second game, which features second-seeded LIU and fourth-seeded Wagner. Fairleigh Dickinson (26-29) will face elimination at 8 p.m. on Thursday, against third-seeded Merrimack. The Pioneers tied the program record for wins in a season, previously set by the 2011 and 2013 squads, both of which finished 34-23.
Thursday's game featured a two-hour delay at the start, thanks to inclement weather. Once it got going, FDU struck for single runs in the second and third innings to jump to a 2-0 lead. In the second, Joey DiMotta led off with a four-pitch walk, advanced on a groundout and scored from second when Joan Sosa – who went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair – dumped a one-out single into left-center. In the third, Brian Sanders knocked a leadoff single back through the middle, moved to second on a walk, went to third on a flyout and scored when Justin Sierra lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
SHU turned the tables, and quickly, in the last of the third. Simonelli and
Gavin Donohue (Melrose, Mass.) walked on a combined nine pitches to open the frame, which turned out to be problematic for FDU with Kovalchik coming to the plate. Kovalchik was actually called on to bunt, but did not get it down and found himself in a 1-2 hole. Turns out, this was also problematic for FDU. The bunt now off, Kovalchik unloaded on the next pitch and drilled it into the left-field seats for a go-ahead, three-run homer, his ninth of the season.
Fairleigh Dickinson shook things off and got even at 3-3 in the top of the fourth. Nick Quagliato lined a leadoff single to center, stole second and scored when Nate Dudeck poked an RBI single through the right side.
The Knights would edge out front, 4-3, in the top of the sixth. A leadoff, four-pitch walk to DiMotta was a problem again, as he took the free pass, advanced on a groundout and scored when Sosa drilled a double into the gap in left-center, narrowly out of the reach of the left fielder Simonelli.
SHU answered and went ahead to stay with two in the home half of the sixth.
Alex Ungar (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) was hit by the first pitch of the inning and then
Tyler Galletti (Plainview, N.Y.) pulled a single through the left side, before a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. After a strikeout,
John Greene (Naugatuck, Conn.) pushed a safety-squeeze up the first-base line and Ungar beat the throw home to tie the game. Simonelli followed and, with the infield pulled in, hit a bouncer to the second baseman. TJ Werner came home with the ball, and Galletti was initially ruled out, but replay review showed Quagliato did not secure the ball at the plate, and Galletti was safe with the go-ahead run.
Head coach
Pat Egan turned the ball over to right-hander
Owen MacDonnell (Londonderry, N.H.) out of the bullpen to start the seventh, and the junior closed the door from there for a nine-out save, his eighth of the campaign. MacDonnell stranded a leadoff double without the ball leaving the infield another time in the seventh. He induced a soft line drive which turned into a double play to erase a one-out walk in the eighth. MacDonnell walked the leadoff man in the ninth, but got the next three in order, again without the ball leaving the infield, to finish things off.
The effort preserved the ninth win of the season (9-3) for right-hander
Jake Babuschak (Jobstown, N.J.). While he freely admitted postgame to not having his best stuff on Thursday, the senior still made his way through six innings on 85 pitches (45 strikes). He surrendered four runs on seven hits, walked four, hit a batter and struck out five.
Right-hander Zac Capps (5-6) took the ball and needed 92 pitches (50 strikes) to get through 5.1 innings. He was touched for five runs on six hits, walked four, hit a batter, threw a pair of wild pitches and struck out five.
