Thiel College Outlasts Baseball’s Late Rally To Preserve 8-7 Win

Box Score

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Elms College junior left fielder Donald Morse (Alfred, Maine) blasted a three-run homer in the top of the sixth, but the Blazers' late rally fell short as Thiel College held on for a thrilling 8-7 victory in Sunday morning's Gene Cusic Classic baseball game in Fort Myers, Fla.

With the loss, Elms moves to 2-1 on the season, while Thiel improves to 1-1 overall.

Trailing 7-6 with two outs in the top of the eighth, Elms knotted the contest at 7-7 when freshman second baseman Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I.) reached on a Tomcats' error and then advanced to second when senior catcher Carm Bonavita (Springfield, Mass.) earned a free pass. Freshman right fielder Derek Leal (Charlton, Mass.) then smacked an RBI single to deliver the game-tying run.  

In the Thiel half of the eighth inning, Weston Snyder (Cranesville, Pa.) cracked a leadoff base hit and then advanced all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Bobby Hillier (Brook Park, Ohio). Snyder then scored on an infield throwing error giving the Tomcats an 8-7 lead. Elms' sophomore right-handed reliever Ryan Burnette (Chicopee, Mass.) fanned the next batter to give the Blazers two outs in the frame before Dan Gainey (Girard, Ohio) and Luke Johnson (Rochester, Pa.) struck for back-to-back singles. From there, Burnette forced a fly out to left field to end the inning.

Elms' sophomore center fielder Stephen Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) singled to start the top of the ninth inning, and Morse connected for a one-out single to give Elms runners at first and second, but Thiel relief pitcher Cody Northcott (Cochranton, Pa.) tossed two strikeouts to earn the win and preserve the 8-7 victory for the Tomcats.

Snyder went 3 for 4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored, while Johnson added a pair of hits in the winning effort.

Thiel starting pitcher Brad Bates (Kinsman, Ohio) was stellar on the hill through the first 5.2 innings, striking out six batters and building a 7-0 lead before the Blazers started their comeback.  

Trailing 7-0 in the top of the sixth, Elms rallied when Morse connected for a two-out, three-run homer scoring senior shortstop Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) who drew a leadoff walk and Fisher who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning to set the score at 7-3.

The Blazers tacked on three more in the top of the seventh frame when junior designated hitter Reynaldo Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Pagano smashed a double to give Elms two runners in scoring position for Bonavita who singled to center field, but Rivera was thrown out at home by Johnson keeping Elms off the scoreboard and the runners on the corners.  

Leal cut the Blazers' deficit to 7-4 with an RBI double which gave Elms two runners in scoring position. Brendan Cordeiro lined out to second and Fisher drew a two-out walk to load the bases before Bonavita scored from third on a throwing error by the catcher pulling Elms to within two at 7-5. A run-scoring base hit by junior third baseman Nicolino Iavicoli (Hampden, Mass.) sent Leal across the plate with the Blazers' third run of the stanza but Thiel was able to end the inning with a strikeout and keep a one-run edge.

Leal went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI and a run scored, while Fisher was 2 for 3 with a run scored.  

Elms returns to Gene Cusic Classic action on Monday, March 7 when it takes on Wheaton College (Ill.) in a doubleheader. Game times are slated for 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Follow tomorrow's doubleheader against the Thunder on live stats and radio.