EMMITSBURG, Md. (May 20, 2022) – After honoring seven seniors in the penultimate game of the 2022 season, Mount St. Mary's baseball delivered an offensive onslaught, defeating the Northeast Conference leaders LIU, 11-6.
Five of the six players made appearances in the game, with
Bryant Shives the lone exception due to pitching five innings the previous day.
Thomas Bramley went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, including two RBIs, a pair of runs and a double.
Ryan Fisher went 1-for-3, scoring twice. Catcher
Connor Buggy made the start behind the plate and worked a good game with five Mountaineers pitching. Senior relievers
Ryan Florio and
Patrick Burke closed out the game, with Burke registering the final four outs without allowing a run.
Incentivized by the opportunity to clinch a share of the NEC regular season title, LIU struck first with a solo home run from catcher Colin Adams. It would be the only lead the Sharks would hold in the game, as chances to tack on more runs were denied by two diving catches from Mount outfielder
Tristan McAlister.
The third inning turned the tide. Fisher scored on a wild pitch to tie the score, and singles by Bramley and
Aiden Tierney gave the Mountaineers the lead. With a crooked number already on the board,
Efrain Correa, Jr. stepped up a smacked a two-run shot for a 5-1 game.
In the fourth, LIU chipped into the deficit for a 5-2 score. But the bottom half of the frame saw McAlister continue his spectacular afternoon with a three-run blast. Tierney's double two batters later extended the advantage to 9-2. The duo of Bramley and Tierney struck again for insurance with a respective double and sacrifice fly.
Strong outings from starters
Luke Pryor along with relievers
Blake Beal and
Brett Midkiff kept LIU at bay. Beal earned credit for the win, his third of the season.
Homeruns by the Sharks' Christopher Hund and EJ Exposito dented into the lead but were not enough to build a charge back. Despite their defeat, Wagner played spoiler over second place Bryant, allowing LIU to earn a share of the regular season crown anyway. The Brooklynites will be the No. 1 seed in next weekend's conference tournament.
Alongside the players, the Mount honored manager Sean Burns, a key supporter for the team during his time as an undergraduate. Six members of the senior class were awarded their undergraduate degrees last weekend, while Burke – who graduated last year – continues to pursue an MBA at the school.
Mount St. Mary's (14-33, 7-19 NEC) plays their final game of the year Saturday (May 21) at 1 p.m. in Emmitsburg. Approximately 30 minutes before first pitch, the team honors the life of Ryan Stamp, Class of 2009.
