BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – For the second time in as many days, the LIU baseball team took Merrimack to extra innings, winning at home on a walk off. The Sharks beat the Warriors 3-2 in 10 innings Friday afternoon, on a walk-off single from senior
Anthony Warneke.
The game was a pitcher's duel in the early going, as the two teams would have only two hits in the first three innings.
Merrimack got on the board in the top of the fourth. Two walks and a hit loaded the bases, leading to a fielder's choice RBI. A sac fly to right field made it 2-0 for the Warriors, but LIU would get an out to end the inning and limit the damage. LIU got on the board in the bottom of the inning, on an RBI fielder's choice by
Giovanni Ciaccio, that cut the lead to 2-1.
But there the score would stay for another four innings, as the pitchers and defense held everybody scoreless.
Sophomore
EJ Exposito changed that when he led off in the bottom of the eighth inning. The second baseman hit a home run off the fourth pitch he saw, taking it over the left field fence to tie it up, 2-2.
Neither team would score in the ninth, and the battle-weary teams went to extra innings for the second day in a row. But this time, the Sharks would end it in the 10th. After Exposito reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, Warneke came to the plate. And for the second time this season, the senior delivered the walk-off win, with a single to right field. Merrimack made the throw home, but Exposito evaded the tag and hit the plate safely, clinching the win for LIU.
Alec Huertas started on the mound for the Sharks, limiting the Warriers to three hits in 5.0 innings pitched.
Michael Andreoli pitched 4.0 innings, holding Merrimack scoreless in that time. And in the 10th, after
Josh Gainer faced three batters,
Kevin Small came in and got a huge strikeout to get LIU to the bottom of the frame, and eventually earn the win, his first of the season.
With the victory, the Sharks move to 20-12 overall, and 18-11 in the NEC. The two teams conclude the series Saturday, with a single nine-inning game, slated to begin at 1 p.m.
