Eastern Nazarene Holds Off Ninth Inning Salem State Rally

SALEM, Mass. – Steven Pesce (Harrison, N.Y.) went 4-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored to lead Eastern Nazarene to a 6-5 victory over Salem State at The Central Campus Baseball Field on Tuesday afternoon. Harrison launched a two-run homer in the fifth, tying the game at 4-4.

Starter Morgan Weast (Cincinnati, Ohio) pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and just one earned run with three walks and 11 strikeouts.

Eastern Nazarene (14-13) took a 2-0 lead off starter Brad Feeder (Parker, Co.)  as a double and walk to start the inning led to a two-run double by Steven Pesce (Harrison, N.Y.). Salem State (11-10) countered in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs to take a 4-2 lead.  Zach Piroh (Stratford, Conn.) plated the first run with a bases loaded single to left. A bases loaded walk to Tim Catalano (Brewser, N.Y.) tied the game before a two-run error put the Vikings on top.

The Lions reclaimed the lead in the third with Pesce providing a two-run home run to right. Jaime Roldan (Boston, Mass.) followed with a run scoring double in the right-center gap to put Eastern Nazarene up 5-4. Chris Smith (Federal Way, Wash.) replaced Feeder on the mound, holding the Lions in check. 

Feeder went 2.1 innings and was charged with six hits, five runs with three walks and a strikeout in the loss.

An RBI single by Roldan in the fifth made the score 6-4 in favor of Eastern Nazarene.

Derek Angell (Whitinsville, Mass.) led off the seventh with a double to right for the Vikings. Two batters later, Christian Burt (Lynn, Mass.) drove home Angell with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

Salem State rallied in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Casare (North Caldwell, N.J.) hit a one-out single to center. A walk and base hit by Wilbur Rosario Morel (Lynn, Mass.) loaded the bases, but a fielder's choice and strikeout by Weast ended the threat as the Lions held on for a 6-5 victory.

Roldan finished 2-for-3 with two RBI for Eastern Nazarene. Piroh and Burt each had a hit with a run scored and RBI for the Vikings, who used six different pitchers on the afternoon.