ANDOVER, Mass. (April 8, 2022) – Poised to claim victory in the inaugural baseball contest between Mount St. Mary's and Merrimack, the Mount fell victim to a late charge by the Warriors in an 8-6 final.
 
Efficient on offense, 50 percent of the baserunners for the Mountaineers came across home. Tristan McAlister supplied two hits, a run and RBI. In total five players drove in one run each. The duo of Nick Breznak and Bryant Shives went on the grind, piecing together 6 2/3 innings and holding the Warriors at bay enough to aid their team.
 
Down 4-1 entering the fifth, the Mount loaded the bases for McAlister who sparked a rally with his RBI single. Tyler Long brought one more home on a grounder before the visitors benefited from Tyler Grodell getting plunked with the bases loaded to tie, and Merrimack's pitcher balking in the go-ahead run. Another productive out – a grounder from Ryan Fisher – completed the five-run inning.
 
Merrimack kept pace with a sac fly an inning later to pull back within one. In the bottom of the seventh, after a single and pitcher swap, the Warriors seized on a Mount error. Scott Elliott drove home both runners in scoring position on a single to return the lead to the home team. A wild pitch insured a multi-run advantage.
 
A double by Fisher in the eighth and a single by Danny Salisbury in the ninth went unpaired and a second rally did not come to fruition.
 
Game two between Mount St. Mary's and Merrimack is set for Saturday (Apr. 9) at 1 p.m. in Andover.