YELLOW JACKETS, WARRIORS HALVE BASEBALL TWINBILL

GAME 1 BOX SCORE     GAME 2 BOX SCORE

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (April 19, 2007) - American International College and Merrimack College split a Northeast-10 baseball doubleheader at AIC Park Thursday afternoon.  The Yellow Jackets (7-18, 3-12 NE-10) took a 3-1 win in the opener before the Warriors (8-16, 5-8 NE-10) blanked AIC 6-0 in the nightcap.

AIC would take a 2-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the first inning of the first game.  Jeff Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.) laced a two-out double and later scored on a throwing error, while Bryan Turney (Auburn, Mass.) scored the Jackets' other run in the frame when he came home on a single by Matt Rhodes (Charlestown, R.I.).  American International would score its other run in the sixth when a double by Jason Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.) brought in David Dest (Orange, Conn.).

Merrimack would score its lone run in the eighth when Brendan Pyburn (Peabody, Mass.) singled and scored on a groundout by Ryan Shepard (Andover, Mass.).

Bryan Soltis (Plantsville, Conn.) eanred the win for AIC, scattering nine hits over eight innings and striking out three.  Mike Lavato (Springfield, Mass.) faced three batters in the ninth for the save.  Josh Sohn (West Simsbury, Conn.) took the loss for the Warriors, giving up eight hits in a complete game effort.  Jeff Rustico led AIC with a pair of hits, while Shepard was 3-4 in the opener for Merrimack.  Jeff Bercume (Leicester, Mass.) also had two hits for MC.

Merrimack, playing as the home team in the second game, grabbed two runs in the bottom of the first, the first coming when a Bercume triple plated Rick Sotiropoulos (Ipswich, Mass.).  Bercume would score on a sac fly by Shepard to make it 2-0.  The Warriors would tack on two more in the fourth on RBI singles by Bob McCarthy (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Doug Heald (Tewksbury, Mass.), while they plated their final two runs in the sixth when Mike Andre (Medford, Mass.) and McCarthy both scored on an error on a double steal attempt.

McCarthy was 4-4 at the plate in the nightcap as Merrimack outhit AIC 10-6.  Dylan Ellis (Gloucester, Mass.) nailed down the win for the Warriors, working seven innings and fanning five.  Uchon Yi (Windsor Locks, Conn.) allowed six runs (two earned) on eight hits in defeat for AIC.

AIC returns to action Saturday when it hosts Saint Anselm in a noon twinbill.