Botched Play Proves Fortuitous for Wolverines

Seeing a 4-1 lead evaporate in the bottom of the sixth inning, Coach Smith was looking for something to break up the 4-4 tie with Merrimack College as the Wolverines came to bat in the eighth. The BA offense had been silent since the fifth as Merrimack’s pitcher had set the sides down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings. In the top of the eighth with one out, Nick Billingham (Edgartown, MA) walked, stole second, and advanced to third on Ryan Varounis’ (Burlington, MA) sacrifice. With two outs, Smith signaled for a suicide squeeze, a risky play with two outs, hoping to catch the Merrimack defense off guard. With a 1-1 count on Zach Vorous (St. Charles, IL), Billingham broke for home. The Warrior pitcher recognized the play and attempted to adjust his pitch. In his attempt to do so, the pitch went high and Vorous was unable to bunt it; fortunately, the Merrimack catcher was unable to catch it, and Billingham scored on the passed ball with the winning run. Dustin Brown (East Falmouth, MA) pitched a solid two-plus innings for starter Tom MacInnes (Plymouth, MA) to pick to a critical NECBA conference win. The doubleheader sweep puts the Wolverines at 12-1 and 8-0 in conference play. The Wolverines get ready for a Wednesday game at Portland Frozen Ropes.