Late homer sends Baldwin Wallace by Endicott in Game 1 of Super Regional

May 28—BEVERLY — The Endicott College baseball team hopes it's an Ernie Banks kind of day on Saturday — or for the more modern types, a Pearl Jam kind of day.

As in "Let's Play Two."

The No. 16 ranked Gulls opened Division 3 NCAA Super Regional play with a 4-2 loss to No. 18 Baldwin Wallace with the sun shining at North Field Friday afternoon. Endicott (40-9) will need to beat the Yellow Jackets (36-11) twice on Saturday to take the best-of-3 series and advance to the College World Series.

"We know what has to be done. We've been there before ... we were there just last weekend," Gulls captain Matt McKinley said, referencing Endicott beating host SUNY Cortland twice last Sunday to win its first-ever NCAA regional.

"We've swept doubleheaders all year. That's our goal and our plan for (Saturday)."

With two of the top six teams in terms of home runs in all of Division 3 on the field, the long ball unsurprisingly made the difference. Baldwin Wallace catcher Mark Mohnickey, the No. 9 hitter, broke a 2-2 tie by smashing a solo homer to left center to lead off the bottom of the seventh.

"I stayed with my plan," Mohnickey said of his third at-bat of the day against Endicott ace Gabe Van Emon. "I got basically the same pitch I lined out (earlier) on, but that time it got in the air and it went out."

Endicott was held to fewer than three runs for just the third time all year and had its 19-game home win streak snapped. Much of that was due to the stellar relief pitching of Baldwin Wallace's Drew Wilson, who trotted in from the outfield to start the sixth inning. He posted three hitless innings, allowing a base knock with one out in the ninth, and stranded the go-ahead run at third just before Mohnickey's blast with a impressive strikeout.

"I'm ready to pitch when I wake up. I'm always ready to go," said Wilson, who knocked him a run with an RBI single in the eighth. He broke a Yellow Jacket program record by earning his ninth win of the season, the vast majority of those coming out of the bullpen.

"I consider it a team record," he added. "Those wins say a lot about my teammates because they're the ones getting hits and knocking in runs. I'm lucky they trust me to pitch and also hit and play the outfield."

Baldwin Wallace starting pitcher Dawson Gabe gave up four hits but also walked four and hit a batter over his five innings of work. The Gulls had him on the ropes a few times but he limited damage, getting a tremendous defensive play behind him with the bases loaded in the second to save runs.

Head coach Brian Harrison wasn't planning to lift Gabe at a particular pitch count to possibly throw later in the series, but rather felt Wilson was the best option against a hard-slugging Endicott lineup.

"Just a feel," Harrison said. "We knew it was a close or if we were ahead exactly where we were going. We're just fortunate to have Drew Wilson part of our program."

Shortstop Alex Ludwick hit a 2-run bomb in the first after the Yellow Jackets drew a leadoff walk. Van Emon was more or less spotless from there ("We're excited he's not throwing tomorrow," Harrison mused), going 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and working around five hits and five walks. Max Tarlin polished things off with the final four outs.

"Gabe and Max gave their all, competed their tails off. I was impressed by both of them," Endicott head coach Bryan Haley said. "Gabe's a stud ... I thought he pitched very well today."

The Gulls got a run back on Kyle Grabowski's second inning sacrifice fly but left the bases loaded after two walks and singles by Nick Perkins and Dylan Pacheco. They tied it in the third when catcher John Mulready of Peabody singled home Nick Notarangelo.

"We bounced back right away when they got those two runs," Endicott captain Joey Millar said. "We've been in this position before. We gathered everyone, talked about it and we're ready to go."

McKinely's fourth inning single was Endicott's last hit until the ninth and the Gulls stranded ten runners. The five total base hits were uncharacteristic for a team averaging almost nine runs per game.

"We were that close a few times. It seemed like the wind wasn't in our favor today," said McKinley. "We barreled balls all day long, so its the same plan for tomorrow: Hit our pitch and see what we can do."

Baldwin Wallace, which averaged more than 10 runs per game, managed seven hits, but the two that left the yard had the biggest impact.

"What stood out most was (Baldwin Wallace's) two-strike approach," said Haley. "They did a really good job fighting and clawing and going the other way in those at-bats."

Hosting an NCAA playoff game for the first time ever on its Beverly campus made for a tremendous atmosphere at Endicott. There were about 1,000 fans in attendance, and the Gulls are hoping to put on a show for them when they return for more playoff college baseball on Saturday.

"It was awesome to see how many people came out," McKinley said. "I don't think I've played in front of that many people before."

"It was an unforgettable moment stepping on that field. The atmosphere of being at home, being in that moment we really tried to enjoy it," Millar added.

Game 2 Saturday is slated for 10 a.m. Should Endicott force a winner-take-all Game 3, it begins 45 minutes after Game 2 ends (approximately 2 p.m., weather permitting). Endicott's deep pitching staff is ready to go as needed, and both clubs are expecting more tight, competitive baseball.

"We're excited about (Saturday). We flush this one and move forward," Haley said. "We roll in the same way we rolled into our other 49 games. We expect to win two and dog pile, honestly."