Box Score

RADNOR, Pa.- The Immaculata baseball team (18-14) scored six runs to erase a two-run deficit in the top of the eighth inning of a non-conference game at Eastern (13-15-3) on Wednesday afternoon, but the Eagles responded with six of their own and held on to deal the Macs an 11-9 defeat.
 
Junior Ryan Tecco continued his outstanding season leading the Immaculata offense as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored to pace a 10-hit attack.
 
Sophomore Eddie Decker got the start and threw well over five innings, surrendering four runs and seven hits while striking out three.
 
Trailing 5-3 entering the eighth inning, the Mighty Macs batted around and plated six runs to take a four-run lead.  Tecco walked and sophomore third baseman Justin Dempsey (1-for-4, R) followed with a walk, before senior shortstop Ryan Ficca (1-for-5, R, RBI) got the first run of the inning with a single to left field to plate Tecco and moved two runners into scoring position as he advanced to second on the throw.  Junior catcher Dom Ficca (1-for-2, 2 RBIs, BB, SB) then put the Mighty Macs ahead 6-5 with a two-run suicide squeeze that plated Dempsey and Ryan Ficca.  With one out, senior center fielder Chuck Wyckoff (R, BB, 2 SB) restarted the rally with a walk, and junior second baseman Jason McCormick (1-for-3, 2 R, SB, HBP, BB) then walked as well to put two on with one out.
 
Freshman Thomas Prato then made the most of his pinch hit appearance as he lined a two-run double to right center field to extend the lead to 8-5.  Prato would steal third and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by junior right fielder Howie Kalamets (R, RBI) and the Macs led 9-5 needing just six outs for the win.
 
Senior Nick Campione came on to preserve the lead, but the first four hitters reached on three hits and one error and the lead had been trimmed to 9-7.  Following a bunt pop out, a single loaded the bases which brought out junior reliever Kyle Bacher.  He got a sacrifice fly for the second out and the Macs lead was down to one, but the next hitter delivered the big blow with a three-run home run that gave Eastern an 11-9 lead.
 
The Macs were unable to muster a rally in the ninth and took the two-run loss.
 
The Macs jumped out front with two runs in the first inning as junior left fielder Matt Simon hit an RBI groundout and Tecco delivered an RBI single.
 
Decker put up four consecutive shutout innings to start the game with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth innings.  The Macs added a run in the fifth on the second RBI single of the day by Tecco and IU led 3-0.
 
Eastern got to Decker in the fifth with four runs to take the lead, and they extended the advantage to 5-3 with a run against sophomore Tyler Sassaman in the sixth.
 
The Macs will shift back to CSAC play this weekend with a road trip to Keystone on Friday at 3 p.m. before hosting a doubleheader against Keystone at 12 p.m. on Saturday.