Baseball Erases 4-0 Deficit, Not Enough to Take Down No. 13 Endicott

EAST BOSTON – Down four runs in the fifth, Suffolk baseball mounted a comeback, but the late rally came up short in a 7-5 regular season home finale setback to No. 13 Endicott Tuesday afternoon at East Boston Memorial Park. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 5 | No. 13 Endicott 7
RECORDS: Suffolk (8-27, 4-15 CNE) |No. 13 Endicott (28-7, 15-1 CNE)

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Endicott applied early pressure as Tyler Liponis ripped a ground-rule double down the left field line and Kyle Grabowski followed with an RBI double to right center for a 1-0 Gulls lead.
• A three-run 2nd inning stretched the advantage when Jake Benest singled and Joey Fusco was hit by a pitch, setting up Patrick Armstrong's two-RBI single. Armstrong later advanced on a balk and scored on Liponis' RBI double. Grabowski capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to push Endicott ahead 4-0.
• Suffolk answered in the 5th as Mike Mullaney worked a walk and Ross Treubig singled to put runners on the corers, leading to Jack Mihalchik's RBI groundout that brought the Rams within 4-1.
• Momentum swung back to the Gulls in the 7th, starting with Armstrong and Liponis reaching base to set up Grabowski's sacrifice fly. After a Colin Bernard single and a wild pitch that advanced both runners, Alex Hamm delivered an RBI single up the middle before another run crossed to extend Endicott's lead to 6-1.
• A Suffolk response in the bottom half of the 7th came after a defensive miscue, as Mullaney walked, and Treubig singled before Shayne King reached on an error that allowed Mullaney to score. Mihalchik added an RBI groundout and Colin Flynn followed with an RBI single to center, trimming the deficit to 6-4.
• With the Gulls threatening again in the 8th, Suffolk turned to Jack Raimo, who worked out of a two-hit-by-pitch jam by striking out two and ending the inning with a flyout to keep the Rams at bay.
• Suffolk kept pushing in the bottom of the 8th as Sam Armbruster and Luke Thornton singled to begin the inning. Sebastian Lampert grounded into a double play that still allowed Armbruster to score, cutting it to 6-5.
• Endicott added an insurance run in the 9th as Grabowski singled and advanced on a passed ball. After a walk and a fielder's choice that included a play at the plate, a groundout brought in a run, pushing the lead to 7-5 and securing the win. 

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Harry Meehan took the loss after going 6.0 innings, giving up four runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
• Ian Maude followed with 1.0 inning of relief, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk.
• Jack Raimo finished the final two innings for the Rams, allowing one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts.
• Jeremy Krendel started on the mound for the Gulls and went 4.1 innings, allowing just one run on two hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
• Evan Scully earned the win for the Gulls, working 4.2 innings in relief and allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts to close out the game.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Flynn went 2-for-4 on the afternoon with one RBI.
• Armbruster and Treubig each went 2-for-4 with one run scored.
• Mullaney reached base three times, scoring twice, and drawing three walks.
• Thornton added one hit and King crossed the plate once.
• Mihalchik drove in two runs despite a 0-for-5 day at the plate.
• The Gulls outhit the Rams, 11-7.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk closes out the regular season Friday, May 1 with a CNE road doubleheader at Johnson & Wales. Game one is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and game two is set for 5:00 p.m.