Seton Hill baseball team stays alive in NCAA Regional with rout of East Stroudsburg

Survive to play another day.

Seton Hill on Saturday shook off a devastating loss a day earlier to Mercyhurst and remained alive in the NCAA Division II baseball playoffs with a 10-4 rout of East Stroudsburg at the Atlantic Region tournament at SHU Baseball Complex in Greensburg.

The Griffins (46-11), who equaled a school record for victories in a season by overcoming a two-run deficit to East Stroudsburg with a six-run outburst in the fifth inning, advanced to a rematch Sunday morning with Mercyhurst (30-15).

The Lakers stunned Seton Hill on Friday, when Luke Jackson hit a walk-off grand slam for an 8-6 victory.

“I honestly felt like our guys walked into the ballpark today completely having forgotten about yesterday,” Seton Hill coach Marc Marizzaldi said. “I don’t think there was any carryover mentally. I don’t think there was any carryover physically.”

A Mercyhurst victory Sunday would send the Lakers to the NCAA Atlantic Super Region tournament next week. A Seton Hill victory would force a second game between the teams Sunday afternoon for the right to advance.

Owen Sabol’s grand slam highlighted Seton Hill’s six-run fifth, and Aidan Layton and Michael Marinchak combined to hold East Stroudsburg’s offense in check for most of the day.

The Griffins outhit the Warriors, 15-8.

“We knew what we had to do. We tried not to tense up,” said Sabol, a Norwin product, who, along with Vincenzo Rauso (Central Catholic), was 3 for 3 for Seton Hill. “The season was kind of at stake, but we didn’t play like it, though. We played loose and had some fun and came out with some good results.”

East Stroudsburg (36-14) broke through first in the fourth on Parker Frey’s two-run triple.

Carson Hubbard began the inning with a single off Layton (9-1) then stole second. Jack Rothenhausler followed with a walk before Frey lined a shot down the right-field line, scoring both runners.

Seton Hill rallied in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six times on five hits, the big blow Sabol’s grand slam off Mike Yates to give the Griffins a 6-2 advantage.

The inning started when Noah Sweeney singled against starter Brent Francisco (8-4). One out later, Jack Whalen (Norwin) walked before Rauso singled and Sweeney scored when Frey bobbled the ball in right.

Whalen scored on a bunt single by Jack Oberdorf (Greensburg Salem).

Yates relieved and walked Logan Vietmeier (Montour) to load the bases before Sabol cleared them with a blast over the left-center field wall.

“I was looking for a pitch up in the zone,” Sabol said. “I knew (Yates) was mainly a slider-type of pitcher, so I was trying to see the ball up. I got a fast ball up and just tried to put it down to score that run from third.”

The ball wound up over the fence.

East Stroudsburg responded with two runs in the sixth to close within 6-4.

With one out, Frey doubled to right and Victor Cruz followed with a single to left. Marinchak (Ligonier Valley) relieved Layton and retired Mike Kelly. But Tim Haverstick and Jeremy Piatkiewicz hit RBI singles for the Warriors before Marinchak got Ben Piripavel on a foul out to third.

Seton Hill extended its lead to 9-4 in the bottom of the sixth against Ryan Dewees, when Whalen tripled home Sweeney and Joe Fiedor (Hempfield), both of whom singled.

The Griffins added a run in the seventh to go up 10-4 as Max Mandler (Upper St. Clair) doubled off Dewees and scored when Sweeney reached on a fielder’s choice against JP Nolan, the fourth East Stroudsburg pitcher.

Marizzaldi praised Marinchak, who pitched out of a sixth-inning jam and finished the game with a flurry.

The junior right-hander struck out three in 3²⁄₃ innings and helped save the Seton Hill bullpen after Friday’s heartbreaking loss.

“With changes in our pitching staff throughout the year, it’s really left us a little bit thin in that middle relief area,” Marizzaldi said. “Mike’s gotten better and better and better throughout the season. We’ve been putting him in these really pivotal mid-inning situations, and he’s come through every time.

“He threw great in the PSAC Tournament, and he was a stopper today. That fueled our offense and gave us some breathing room. It was really nice that he finished the game. He gave us not just a stop in the middle of the game but length to finish it.”