Schneider’s solo tater in ninth completes comeback, Mercyhurst eliminates UC San Diego 6-5

Matthew Schneider left, and Josh Surowiec, right, of Mercyhurst get ready in the on-deck circle for plate appearances during a game against the Tritons of UC San Diego. Schneider and Surowiec combined to go 4 for 9, driving in four runs. Photo by Jack Butler.

Jack Butler jbutle58@lakers.mercyhurst.edu

CARY, North Carolina – Mercyhurst had little time to celebrate their 8-5 victory over the Indians of Catawba on Tuesday as to continue playing the Lakers needed to defeat the Tritons of UC San Diego. The Lakers returned to Coleman Field, bringing back that never say die attitude in another elimination game.

Joe Spano handed the baseball to Christian Young, the Laker's third-best starter, attempting to pitch well in his last outing wearing the Mercyhurst navy and green. Unfortunately, Young only went 1.3, facing 10 batters, 5 over the minimum, giving up 2 runs and 4 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1. His trouble on the mound began after retiring the leadoff hitter and then five of the next six Tritons reached base.

Alex Athanacio and Michael Fuhrman reached on back to back base hits. Next up was Steven Schuknecht, driving in Athanacio and Fuhrman with a single, making it an early 2-0 Tritons lead. Young got Keenan Brigman swinging, but walked Nick Kitzman, loading the bases.

Spano walked to the mound to remove Young from the game and Jared Kapturasky got the last out in the second, closing the book on Young. The Lakers could not muscle anything against UC San Diego hurler, Noah Conlon in the third and the two frames prior. Conlon was dominant, through the first three innings retiring nine of the first ten batters he faced, one over the minimum, throwing a no-hitter. The Tritons added a run in the bottom of the frame off reliever Kapturasky.

UC San Diego began with a Shey Whitcomb triple and a Kapturasky walk to Blake Baumgartner. Runners were on the corners with one away when Athanacio hits a ball directly to Alex O’Donnell at short. O’Donnell could not field it cleanly, resulting in Whitcomb scoring, increasing the lead to 3-0. The extra out given by Mercyhurst extended the inning, but Kapturasky got out of it, stranding runners on second and third.

Mercyhurst finally broke the Conlon’s no-hitter in the fourth when Jack Elliott reached on a leadoff single. Elliot would advance to second on a bunt base hit by O’Donnell, the first time the Lakers had a runner in scoring position. Matthew Schneider capitalized, plating Elliott with a single to right-center. The Lakers were poised for a big inning until Sophomore standout, Josh Surowiec grounded into a double play and Luke Baranchak was called on strikes.

Kapturasky looked to have a quick inning after retiring the first two Tritons. A two-bagger by Whitcomb, kept the inning alive, giving Alex Eliopulos a chance to deliver. The third baseman sent a Kapturasky pitch beyond the left-field fence on to the grass for a two-run homer. To pick up the last out to end the damage and frame was Sophomore reliever Nicholas McRandal.

UC San Diego had a comfortable 5-1 lead entering the halfway point of the game, with a pitcher who seemed to be in full control. Mother nature had other ideas, delaying the game for thirty minutes due to rain. This gave the Manager Spano and Lakers time to regroup, to try and get back into the contest.

When the tarp came off the infield, the Lakers bats woke up, scoring three in the six, yanking Conlon from the game. Elliott began the rally, being nicked by a pitch, then with one swing of the bat, O’Donnell hit his first homer of the CWS. It was huge and Mercyhurst was not done yet. Schneider and Surowiec both had two-baggers, the latter plating the other, sliming the UC San Diego lead to 5-4. The Lakers would plate another run to tie it in the seventh.

Following McRandal’s perfect sixth, Mercyhurst scored one off reliever Luke Mattson. A double by Elliot and an O’Donnell single put stress on Mattson. The pressure mounted onto Jonah Dipoto, who replaced Mattson, when he walked Schneider and alleviated it after Surowiec hit into a double play, driving in the tying run. O’Donnell was left on third bases after Baranchak struck out.

The clouds were getting darker when McRandal pitched in the eighth. After walking the first man, the Lakers turned two, allowed another free pass, and the grounds crew started covering the infield with the tarp. Mercyhurst had to wait over an hour and 15 minutes to finish the eighth.

During the delay, the players of both teams were out of the dugouts and undercover in the concourse, where I chatted with Mercyhurst players. I asked starting catcher, Ben Monti, “Spano made the right move to put you in the lineup as you have played a great game, already have three hits, what has been working for you?” Monti expressed “I have been seeing the ball really well today…thank you” Then I walked over to regularly starting catcher, Hunter ‘Grittiest Catcher’ Snyder stating “you are such a good teammate for understanding Spano’s decision to start [Ben] Monti against the righty.” Snyder exclaimed, “Spano has done such a great job as he [Monti] has three hits and is doing well behind the plate.”

The grounds crew removed the tarp covering the infield and the diamond remained empty until the teams received word that the rain passed the area. Photo by Jack Butler.

The long stoppage of play ended McRandal’s afternoon on the mound, going 4 not hit and scoreless innings, striking out 2 and walking 2 as well. Spano put the game in reliable reliever, Adam Jeannette’s hands, striking out Brigman to end the eighth, heading to the ninth with the score deadlocked at 5.

Kyle Lucke, replaced Dipoto in the eighth, advancing to the ninth even though he allowed a hit to Monti. He was brought back to face the heart of the Lakers order, retiring Elliott and O’Donnell to start the frame. Schneider got a hold of a 0-1 breaking ball off Lucke, drilling it over the wall for the go-ahead-two-out homer. Just like that, a 5-1 lead in the fifth has now been erased as Mercyhurst leads UC San Diego 6-5.

Coming back to finish off the Tritons was Jeannette, starting the ninth strong silencing the Triton bats, however, with two outs, the situation got stressful after two errors and a passed ball. Whitcomb hit a routine grounder to O’Donnell, bobbling it, and went to second on a passed ball when Eliopulos batted. The Lakers had another chance with a slow roller to Schneider at first, but he booted it, the second mistake of the frame. Jeannette struck out Ryan McNally on a nasty slider, completing the comeback and ending the Tritons season.

Mercyhurst right-handed reliever, Adam Jeannette, pitches to a UC San Diego batter during the ninth frame at Coleman Field. Jeannette would pick up his fourth win of the season by having a scoreless inning and extending the Lakers season another day. Photo by Jack Butler.

Spano’s squad was down to their last twelve outs but plated six unanswered runs to shock UC San Diego in a classic elimination game. Jeannette earned his fourth victory of the year, getting the Lakers a date with the University of Tampa Spartans on Thursday.

Probable pitchers for both teams have not been announced yet. First pitch is tabbed for 1 pm at Coleman Field, NCAA.com and Laker Athletics will carry the game.