Marywood Sweeps Immaculata to Open Series
Erik Pulkkinen was 5-for-7 with two RBI as Marywood took two from Immac Monday

Marywood Sweeps Immaculata to Open Series

Baseball - 4/21/2014 5:23:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

Scranton, PA - Marywood University used two solid pitching performances over two games and some late inning heroics in the opening game as the Pacers swept the opening two games of a three-game series from visiting Immaculata Monday afternoon in Scranton.  Marywood (12-9, 4-5 CSAC) rallied for a 6-5 win in eight innings in the opener then controlled the nightcap for a 7-3 win.  Immaculata fell to 14-11, 5-6 CSAC with the losses.

A back-and-forth opener saw each team take leads throughout that forced the game into extra innings.  Marywood was up 1-0 in the first on a RBI single from Dominic Loughlin, but the Mighty Macs tied it in the top of the third on a sacrifice flyout to right.  The Pacers reclaimed the lead in the bottom half of the third when Mike Diskin scored on a wild pitch. 

The visitors put two runs across over the next two innings to take a 3-2 lead, but Marywood jumped back in front 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth when they scored on an error and later a RBI infield single from Erik Pulkkinen.  Immaculata knotted the game up at 4-4 and forced extra innings with a sacrifice bunt RBI, and then took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth when they scored on a wild pitch. 

Down to their final out in the game, Marywood rallied.  Zack Klien reached on an infield single, then pinch hitter Alan Nieto doubled to left center field to score pinch runner Stephen Gaylets and tie the game.  Nieto would then score the winning run when Pulkkinen singled to right center. 

Joseph DiLoreto pitched all eight innings for the Pacers, improving to 3-0 on the mound for the year after allowing four earned runs and 10 hits.  Pulkkinen finished the opener 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The Pacers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap when Gaylets hit a two-run homer to right field.  Marywood would add a run later in the inning as Mark Sherlock scored on a balk. 

In the fifth, the Pacers added four important insurance runs.  Diskin was credited with the first RBI of the inning on a sacrifice bunt.  Thomas Richards then cleared the bases with a three-run shot to right, making it 7-0 in favor of the Pacers. 

Marywood would need those four runs, as Immaculata scored three runs over the final two innings.  Russell Baldino (2-2) got the win on the mound after allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings.  Robert Flynn came on in relief to get the final three outs of the game.

Marywood and Immaculata are scheduled to conclude their three-game regular season series tomorrow at Immaculata with a single nine inning game starting at 3:00 pm. 
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