April 13, 2008

Box Score

BROOKLYN, NY - The Sacred Heart baseball team opened up a 5-0 lead for starting pitcher Jack Wagoner (Berlin, CT) and held off a furious Long Island University comeback to escape with a 10-9 Northeast Conference win Sunday afternoon.

Sacred Heart, 4-26 and 2-6 in the conference, got a run in the second on a bunt single by freshman MJ Schifano that scored Paul Schmidt who had led off the inning with a triple. The Pioneers made it 2-0 in the third when Tyler Santos tripled and scored on a groundout by Ryan Lynch.

Phil Tantillo drove in the third Pioneer run with a single in the fourth inning, scoring Schmidt who had been hit by a pitch to start the frame. SHU opened a 5-0 lead in the top of the fifth on the first career home run by freshman left fielder Chris Whittemore.

LIU, 10-20 and 2-6, finally got to Wagoner for a run in the bottom of the inning on a solo homer by Dan Pirillo.

The Pioneers opened up what looked like a comfortable 8-1 margin in the sixth thanks to an RBI double by Santos, and a two-run two-bagger by Lynch.

After a long layoff as the Pioneers tacked on the three runs in the sixth, Mick Oswald relieved Wagoner in the bottom of the sixth and surrendered four runs to cut the SHU lead to 8-5. He gave up three hits and walked four in the inning.

A solo homer by Schmidt in the top of the eighth put the Pioneers back up 9-5 and a ground rule double by Whittemore in the ninth scored Tantillo to make it 10-5.

Corey Corcoran worked a scoreless seventh and eighth for the Pioneers but ran into trouble in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff double to Chris Kievit and then walked the next batter. He then yielded a double and a single to chase home two runs and cut the SHU lead to 10-7.

Chris Barthel came on in relief of Corcoran with one out in the inning. He struck out the first batter he faced for the second out, but then gave up a double to Frank DiMasi that made it 10-9. The junior then struck out Anthony Amatucci for the final out and earn his second save of the year.

Wagoner earned the victory with his five innings of work,allowing just one run on six hits. He struck out six and walked three to move to 1-5 on the season.

Tantillo led the 13-hit Pioneer offense with three hits. Lynch and Whittemore each finished with a pair of hits and three RBI.

The Pioneers will be in action again on Wednesday at home against Manhattan College.