Mother Nature had its say on Wednesday at Canisius College, as heavy rain caused Game 2 between St. Joe’s and St. Mary’s to be delayed an hour. But come game time, the bats of both teams had their own say, leading to heartbreak for the Lancers and elation for the Marauders.
No. 1 St. Joe’s 12 – No. 3 St. Mary’s 10 (Series tied 1-1)
The Marauders, who finished the day with 17 total hits, needed extra innings but were able to force a decisive Game 3 in what turned out to be a thriller of a ballgame.
Early on, it was all St. Joe’s.
Thanks in part to a two-RBI triple from Jack Gilbert (2 for 4) in the third inning, the Marauders found themselves in the driver seat, as they led 6-1 entering the bottom of the fifth inning.
But then came the Lancers.
With the bases loaded, senior Cole Murray (3 for 4 with four RBIs) ignited the comeback with a two-RBI double, and an error from Joe’s cleared the bases. Brady O’Brien followed up with a sacrifice fly that scored Murray, and just like that, the Marauder lead was down to one run, 6-5.
The very next inning, senior Cole Laskowski gave St. Mary’s the lead with a two-RBI single. Murray and O’Brien would both tally RBIs of their own later in the sixth inning, and the Lancers found themselves with a 10-6 advantage and just three outs away from a championship.
But, unfortunately for St. Mary’s, the Marauders had a comeback of their own within them.
After senior Vince Capolupo (3 for 5) drove in one run, Gilbert delivered again, as he brought in another. An error allowed Joe’s to make it 10-9 in the same sequence. Finally, with two outs and on the brink of defeat, it was sophomore Nick DiCarlo (2 for 4) who stepped up, saving the Maruaders’ season with an RBI single and knotting the game at 10-10.
After the Lancers stranded a man on second base in the bottom of the seventh inning due to two massive strikeouts from Gabe Hayek, St. Joe’s continued to ride their momentum into the lead.
An RBI double from junior Mitch Floccare (2 for 5) would bring in the eventual game-winning run, and Capolupo knocked in Floccare to give the Marauders a 12-10 advantage.
The Lancers would threaten in their last at bats, as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Tino Turrello struck out the only batter he faced in the matchup to secure the victory for St. Joe’s.
Thus, it all comes down to Game 3. The Marauders and Lancers will do battle for the Georgetown Cup title at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Canisius College.
