BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Sophomore second baseman Dylan Glassmire drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the second seeded Susquehanna University a 6-5 walk-off victory versus fourth seed The United States Merchant Marine Academy in the winner’s bracket game of the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament being hosted at Gillespie Field by Moravian College.
The Crusaders, 27-12 overall, move onto Monday’s championship round at 11:00 a.m., needing just one victory to earn an automatic berth to the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. The Mariners fall to 21-12-1 and will get right back on the field versus top seed Moravian in the final elimination game at 4:25 p.m. for the right to play in the championship round.
Susquehanna jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when sophomore third baseman Bryan Palsi and freshman catcher Tom Shields each hit two-RBI singles.
The Mariners scored a run in the top of the second on an error by the Crusaders, and USMMA scored twice in the top of the third on RBI singles from senior second baseman Warren Hartmann and senior shortstop Danny Collins to pull within a run at 4-3.
The Crusaders added a run to push the lead to 5-4 in the bottom half of the third on an RBI ground out by junior left fielder Jared Musilli.
USMMA answered in the top of the fourth with an RBI grounder by freshman third baseman Richard Kernan with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to a run again at 5-4.
The Mariners tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the eighth when Hartmann led off with a solo home run to left field, his sixth round-tripper of the season.
The Crusaders scored in the 11th for the win without an out. Junior second baseman Nick Kennedy led off with a single and senior center fielder Ty Raubenstine reached on an error. Freshman right fielder Taylor Luckenbill put down a bunt and Kennedy beat the throw to third base to load the bases for Glassmire’s walk.
Both teams had 11 hits in the game. Raubenstine, Luckenbill, Palsi and Kennedy each had two hits for Susquehanna while Hartmann, Collins, Kernan, junior left fielder Joseph Policastro and junior catcher Jacob Wood all had two hits for USMMA.
Senior Matt Smith picked up the win on the mound for Susquehanna with a hit and a strikeout in 2.2 innings. He was the third pitcher used by the Crusaders with junior Casey Wood allowing four runs on nine hits to go with a pair of strikeouts in the first seven innings. Freshman Liam Conboy gave up a run on one hit in 1.1 innings.
Senior Jake Martin took the loss for USMMA with an unearned run on a hit and a walk with one strikeout over the final two innings. Senior Timothy Arner was the starter for the Mariners and allowed five runs, four earned, on five hits and a walk to go with two strikeouts in three innings while junior Jeff Wright gave up five hits and a walk to go with one strikeout in five innings of relief work.