PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Bryan McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) had his second walk-off hit in the last three games and Plymouth State University erased a 9-1 deficit to outlast Colby-Sawyer College in ten innings, 11-10, in a non-conference baseball game at Parish Field on Thursday afternoon.
The Chargers held a 9-1 lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but junior
Luke Sokolski (Waterford, Conn.) started the comeback bid with a two-run double to spark a five-run outburst. Colby-Sawyer scored a run in the top of the eighth, but Sokolski and sophomore
Owen Baum (Saint Michaels, Md.) had RBI singles in the bottom half to pull within 10-8.
Colby-Sawyer committed a costly error to start the ninth and pinch hitter
Joshua Welsh (East Lyme, Conn.) made it a one-run game with a single. With two away, junior
Jackson Curtis (Jefferson, N.H.) ripped a game-tying double to right centerfield to send the game to the tenth inning.
The visitors looked poised to go back in front with runners on second and third and just one out, but McGrath fielded a one-hopper to third and got the lead out at home and a strikeout ended the threat. Baum kicked off the bottom of the inning with a single. With two outs he stole second and McGrath lofted a deep flyball to the left centerfield gap just beyond the glove of the Chargers' diving centerfielder to bring in the winning run.
Plymouth State improves to 8-14, while Colby-Sawyer goes to 6-21.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 11, Colby-Sawyer 10 (10 Inn.)
- Plymouth State (8-14)
- Colby-Sawyer (6-21)
How it Happened:
- Colby-Sawyer scored a pair of runs in the second and had two runners in scoring position, but sophomore Aaron Kent (Keene, N.H.) came on in relief to record the third out and keep the deficit at two.
- Sophomore Sam Malgeri (Stratham, N.H.) led off the bottom of the inning with a blast through the tops of the trees in right field to cut the margin in half.
- The Chargers answered right back with two in the third, then took advantage of a pair of miscues to add three more in the fourth.
- Baum beat out an infield hit and senior Nick Healey (Campton, N.H.) ripped a base hit to left to put two on in the bottom of the frame. Freshman Tyler Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) worked a two-out walk to load the bases, but the Chargers escaped the jam with a force out at third.
- The visitors pushed another two runs across in the seventh to make it 9-1.
- The Panthers clawed back into the game in the bottom of the inning. McGrath and sophomore Scooter Summa (Ellicott City, Md.) had hits to start the frame and an errant pickoff throw allowed the two to move up. Colby-Sawyer nearly got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts, but Sokolski ripped a two-run double, and Malgeri followed with an RBI single to cut the margin to 9-4. A hit batter and double steal put two runners in scoring position and Healey drove them both in with a double to right center to make it a three-run game.
- Colby-Sawyer answered with a run in the eighth, but the Panthers continued to chip away in the bottom of the frame. McGrath rocked a double and a walk and single loaded the bases. Sokolski followed with a run-scoring single and Baum beat out an infield hit to make it 10-8.
- A Chargers' error opened the doors for PSU in the bottom of the ninth, putting the leadoff runner on second. Welsh came through with a pinch-hit single to score a run and Curtis sent the game to extra innings with a two-out double.
- Colby-Sawyer got the first two runners on in the top of the 10th, then bunted them over, but McGrath made a good throw on a one-hopper to third to cut down the runner at the plate and a strikeout ended the threat.
- Baum singled to start the bottom of the inning. He swiped second with two outs and McGrath walked it off for the second time in the last three games.
By the Numbers:
- Baum finished 4-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI and two steals.
- McGrath, who did not enter until the seventh inning, went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
- Sokolski had two hits and drove in three, while Curtis, Malgeri, Healey and Summa also had multi-hit games.
- PSU mashed out 18 hits, including five doubles and Malgeri's homer.
- Sophomore Jason Smith (Charlestown, Mass.) helped slow the Chargers' offense with two scoreless innings of relief, including three strikeouts.
- Sophomore Andrew Baxter (Thornton, N.H.), classmate Nick Wilson (Mont Vernon, N.H.) and senior Eoin Hamell-Kelleher (Attleboro, Mass.) got the final 11 outs without allowing a run. Hamell-Kelleher picked up the win with three strikeouts over the final 2.1 innings.
- The two teams combined to use 16 pitchers, who threw nearly 400 pitches.
- Plymouth State sweeps the season series, with the teams combining for 51 runs between the two games.
- PSU has won each of the last six meetings.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State hits the road for a Little East Conference twin bill at Castleton on Saturday (Apr. 22).
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