BECKLEY, W.Va. - For the second day in a row, the Notre Dame College baseball team was in the prime time slot at the Mountain East Conference Tournament. The Falcons were playing the No. 1 seed from the MEC South Division, Charleston, and the two teams did not disappoint. The game went into extra innings and the teams combined for five runs in the 10th, but the Golden Eagles were the ones to come out on top 5-4 heading into day three of the tournament.
Notre Dame got off to a strong start in the game after
Zach Santoro hit a home run on the third pitch of the game. In the third inning,
Nick Farrell singled to left field to score
Joseph Paskell to put the Falcons up 2-0.
The score remained in NDC's favor until the eighth inning when Charleston's Gianfranco Morello hit a two-RBI triple to tie the game 2-2. UC almost won the game on Morello's hit as he tried to score an inside-the-park home run, but he was thrown out by left fielder
Adam Purdy.
Niether team was able to score in the ninth inning, sending the game to extras.
Notre Dame started things off hot as Santoro was once again able to get his team going. A double to center field drove in
Matt Richards for Santoro's second RBI of the day, and the senior infielder was able to score his second run of the day after Paskell hit a sacrifice fly to put NDC up 4-2.
The Golden Eagles were able to pick up where the Falcons left off to score three runs of their own. Like Santoro, Morello was just what UC needed to get going. Morello singled to score the first run for Charleston in the bottom of the 10th and later scored himself after Jesse Elliott hit a walk-off single.
Ty Shoaff started the game for Notre Dame and kept UC scoreless through seven innings. He was able to strike out two batters in his time on the mound and allowed just five hits.
Notre Dame, now 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament, will play UVa-Wise tomorrow, May 11, at 1:15 p.m. UVa-Wise is also 1-1 in the tournament after defeating Fairmont State 19-14 today. The winner of that contest will then go on to play the loser of the Charleston and Shepherd game. That game will be played at 4:30 p.m. Another game at 7:15 p.m. will follow that contest where the remaining two teams will face off.
