Baseball Comes Up Short Against  No. 5/9 Endicott, 10-8

EAST BOSTON – Suffolk baseball put its rally caps on in the ninth inning, but No. 5/9 Endicott forced the Rams to keep the winning run at the plate to hand the blue-and-gold a 10-8 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) setback Tuesday at East Boston Memorial Park. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 8 | No. 5/9 Endicott 10
RECORDS: Suffolk (10-17, 4-7 CCC) | No. 5/9 Endicott (26-6, 11-1 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Endicott scored once in the second, twice in the third and three times in the fourth to put Suffolk in a six-run hole.  

The Rams broke onto the board in the bottom of the fourth. Jonny Gilbride led off with a single to left and came in thanks to Max Iorio's triple to right center. Harry Painter then plated Iorio with a base hit to left to pull the host within four, 6-2. 

More base hits and another triple, this time off Gilbride's bat, cut the gap down even further an inning later. Luke Harder doubled to left to get the inning going. A pitching change and productive ground out to second later the Rams' right field scored thanks to Timothy McCarthy's infield single. Gilbride than barreled a triple to right center to bring in McCarthy and make it a 6-4 game. 

The teams traded runs in the sixth to keep the gap at two. Suffolk's score came in on a bases loaded walk drawn by McCarthy. The blue-and-gold filled the bags behind a Garret Roberts single, a walk from Harder and an Endicott error.  

That two-run distance did not stay long as the Gulls extended their advantage to five behind a three-run seventh that came on four hits and one Suffolk fielding mishap.  

Down 10-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Endicott brought in their closer Max Tarlin. Suffolk quickly figured out the new wing and chucked the bases. Joe Ward and Harder brought in one run each on a base hit and walk, respectively. After one out, a sac fly by McCarthy restored the two-run margin, 10-8. Gilbride, the winning run, found himself in a full count. Tarlin worked the zone and struck out Suffolk's shortstop looking to lock up the win for the nationally ranked Gulls. 

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Harry Painter took the loss after giving up six runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 5.0 innings. 
• Pierce Salbego (4 R, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K) and Caleb Piwnicki (1 K) each shoved 2.0 frames of relief. 
• Brady Stuart earned the victory for Endicott out of the pence. He let up two runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts in 1.1 innings of action. 
• Jordan Gottesman started for the Gulls and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with three punchouts over 4.0 innings. 
• Tarlin allowed three runs on three hits and two walks with two Ks in 1.0 inning. 
• Chris Jenkins (0.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) and Kyan Bagshaw (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K) threw for the Gulls as well.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• McCarthy brought in three runs on one hit, two walks and one sac fly to go along with one run. 
• Gilbride and Painter produced two hits, one RBI and one run each. The former registered one triple.
• Ward tallied two hits and one RBI. 
• Harder had one hit, a double, one RBI, one run and three walks.  
• Iorio logged one hit, a triple, one RBI and one run.
• Roberts recorded two runs and one hit. 
• Birbiglia barreled on hit, a double, and scored once.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk travels across town Thursday, April 27 for a non-conference, nine-inning bout at UMass Boston at 7 p.m.