Steve Sulcoski went 3-5 with a solo home run and three RBI and Connor Moriarty recorded a pinch-hit grand slam as the Misericordia University baseball team took advantage of Eastern miscues to defeat the Eagles 18-5 in Freedom Conference action at Tambur Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
Ryan Dorosh had another strong showing on the mound, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out eight over six innings of action. Joe Tagliarini added two hits and the Cougars (25-8, 13-3 Freedom) used nine walks and three batters hit by pitches to bat around in both the sixth and eighth innings.
 
After Dorosh retired the Eastern (15-14, 6-10) side in the top of the first with a pair of strikeouts, the Cougars took the lead an early lead when Kyle Lindsay singled and then scored on a Sulcoski double just over the right fielder's reach.
 
A Tagliarini leadoff single was the lone hit for either team in the second inning, and Eastern evened the score at 1-1 in the top of the third when Mark Royer walked and later moved around to steal home.
 
The Cougars took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning when Tagliarini earned a bases-loaded walk to score Kenny Durling and make the score 2-1.
 
MU added another run in the bottom of the fifth inning despite not recording a hit. Andrew Tressa reached and moved to second on an error and then made it to third when Sulcoski reached on an error. Durling walked to load the bases  and a Faria sacrifice fly to left field scored Tressa to push the Cougar lead to 3-1.
 
The Cougars broke the game open with eight runs in the sixth inning. A ball four wild pitch allowed Tagliarini to reach second on a leadoff walk, and, after a groundout, Chris Boroch was hit by a pitch and Lindsay walked to load the bases. Tagliarini scored when Tressa reached on an error, and a Sulcoski single up the middle sent Boroch home.
 
Lindsay scored on a Durling sacrifice fly, and a Julian Faria walk loaded the bases for Ryan Cacchioli, who smashed a bases-clearing double to the right-center wall. Tagliarini sent Cacchioli home with a single in his second at bat of the inning, and then scored as John Repetto reached on a throw that was sailed to the first-base side fence to make it 11-1 through six innings.
 
Eastern got a run back in the top of the seventh when Stephen Valentine was hit by a Brandon Barber pitch with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to 11-2.  The Eagles still threatened with the bases loaded and no outs, but Cory Vogeli came in to get three quick outs for the Cougars.
 
Sulcoski hit a solo home run to left center in the bottom of the seventh to extend the MU lead back to 12-2 but Eastern responded with a run in the top of the eighth when Anthony Messina scored on a groundout after drawing a one-out walk.
 
MU sealed the deal in the bottom of the eighth with six more runs. Faria drew a leadoff walk and after Cacchioli was hit by a pitch for the second time, Miles Westrich walked to load the bases. The bases remained loaded after a Jasinski fielder's choice that put Faria out at home to set up Moriarty's pinch-hit grand slam- the first home run of his collegiate career.
 
After a Dylan Mazzo single, Tressa was hit by a pitch before Mike Comerford hit a double to right-center field to score Mazzo. Following a Steve Cuccio walk, Tressa scored as Andy Gonzalez reached on a fielder's choice to make it an 18-3 game.
 
Eastern scored two runs in the top of the ninth on a Eric Rossi two-run home run to
Right field.
 
The Cougars travel to Eastern tomorrow to complete the season-series with a 1:00 PM doubleheader.