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Gwynedd-Mercy 8, Misericordia 6

BOX SCORE

GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. --  Gwynedd-Mercy found a way to defeat the cold and Misericordia in an 8-6 non-conference win on Tuesday afternoon.

The Griffins (11-7) broke a 6-6 game with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Pinch runner Kurt Taylor (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) would score from third on a wild pitch and later an RBI double from Dante Cassano Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) for an insurance run helped GM to their fourth win in their last six games.

Cassano had three doubles on the day, tying a school single-game mark, in a 3-for-5 performance with two RBIs. John Burns (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) drove in three runs while Mike Marchitto (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern) was 1-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Josh Martin (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) also scored three times.

Starter Rick Elfreth (Washington Twp., N.J./St. Augustine) got off to a rocky start in the first, allowing two runs on just one hit with three walks and a hit by pitch. He would settle in and yield just two hits over the next four innings, before being lifted in the sixth.

Burns answered the Cougar's two spot in the bottom of the first with a two-run double to deep center field. Cassano's RBI double down the right field line in the third gave GM a 3-2 lead.

It was 4-2 in the fifth when Cassano scored from third on a sac fly from Burns.

Elfreth, who struck out six on three hits and two earned runs, was pulled after a one-out hit batsmen in the sixth. That inning, Misericordia (15-5) took advantage of a key two-out error at shortstop to keep the inning alive to plate three runs, two of which came on a single from Andrew Tressa for a 5-4 lead.

In the seventh, Marchitto drove in a run to knot it at 5-5 and later would score on a two-out bases loaded walk to Greg Brooks (Voorhees, N.J./St. Joseph Prep Pa.) to give Gwynedd a brief lead. But the Cougars would again use the momentum of two GM errors in the eighth to score an unearned run.

J.P. Harris (East Norriton, Pa./Kennedy-Kenrick) picked up his first collegiate win in relief, entering in the seventh and going two innings. Andrew Hill (Christiana, Pa./Octorara) came on in the ninth and recorded his fourth save of the year.

Tressa was 2-for-4 with a walk and teammate Kenny Durling was 2-for-5 with and RBI double.

Gwynedd-Mercy travels to Reading, Pa. tomorrow to square off with old conference rival Alvernia in a 3:30 start.