Joe Tagliarini tied the score in the bottom of the sixth and reached on an error in the eighth to give the Misericordia University baseball team a game two win and a doubleheader split with DeSales on Sunday afternoon at Tambur Field.
 
The Cougars (20-6, 10-2) dropped game one 7-6 before rallying to win the second 5-4 in eight innings.
 
DeSales (18-7, 10-2) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning during game one, scoring all three runs with two outs. Brian Mauro opened the scoring with a solo home run to right center to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead and a Derek Chrismer followed with a single to center. The Bulldogs scored two more runs on back-to-back doubles by Mark Westdyk and Jack Kavetski to extend the lead to 3-0 before Matt Karabin got Charles Dennis to ground out to end the inning.
 
The Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-0 in the top of the third. Mauro led off the inning with a double and after Chrismer was hit by a pitch, both runners advanced on a Westdyk bunt. A Kavetski single scored Mauro and Chrismer came home on an Alec Hardy sacrifice fly to left field.
 
The Cougars responded in the bottom of the inning, as Kyle Lindsay got things going by legging out a one-out double through the left side. Following a Tressa strikeout, Steve Sulcoski singled down the right field line and advanced to second on the throw, scoring Lindsay to cut the deficit to 5-1.
 
Durling would send Sulcoski home with a double to the left center wall to make it a 5-2 game. With the RBI, Durling (below) took sole possession from Nate Newman of the MU all-time RBI record at 155.
 

Durling would score one batter later when Ryan Cacchioli singled up the middle, and a Joe Tagliarini double just inside the left field line would move Cacchioli to third, but the Bulldogs' David Drinks got a flyout to get out of the inning.
 
MU closed the gap to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth when a Mike Comerford leadoff walk eventually became a run on a Tressa single down the first base line.
 
DeSales extended their lead back to four runs in the top of the fifth. After recording the first out, Karabin got Chrismer to strike out swinging, but a dropped third strike and subsequent error gave the Bulldogs extended life. Chrismer would score on a Westdyk double, and another double by Kavetski would send the Westdyk home and give DeSales a 7-4 advantage.
 
Durling doubled for the second time to open the top of the fifth, and a Cacchioli single placed runners on the corners with no outs. Tagliarini grounded into a 5-4-3 double play but it was enough to score Durling and cut DeSales' lead to 7-5.
 
Trailing by two heading into the bottom of the seventh, Tressa did his part to give the Cougars a chance at a comeback with a leadoff home run to left field- his first of the season and first since April 3, 2011 when he hit a grand slam in an 18-6 victory at King's.
Trevor Connors took the mound for DeSales, and the Cougars couldn't quite figure him out, recording three consecutive groundouts to end the game.
 
Matt Karabin took the loss for the Cougars, allowing 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) over seven innings with a pair of strikeouts. Tressa was 2-4 with two RBI while Sulcoski, Durling and Cacchioli each had two hits and an RBI.
 
MU fell behind once again in game two, as Westdyk hit a bases-clearing two-out double to give DeSales a 3-0 lead.
 
The Bulldogs extended that lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth, opening the inning with consecutive singles from Dennis and Steven Wallace. A groundout advanced the runners to second and third, but the Cougars preserved one run from scoring when pinch-runner Evan Fraser was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice. After Mauro was intentionally walked, Chrismer singled down the left field line to score Wallace.
 
On this day, the Cougars would not go down easily. Lindsay and Tressa both reached on walks to open the inning, and Lindsay scored on a Sulcoski single through the left side. Durling would follow that up with a single down the left field line to score Tressa and cut the deficit to 4-2. A Cacchioli sacrifice bunt advanced the runners to second and third, and a Tagliarini double to deep left center evened the score at four apiece, giving MU new life.
 
Cory Vogeli came in to pitch the seventh for the Cougars. After allowing a leadoff single, the Bulldogs used their first two outs to advance Kavetski to third. Vogeli remained poised, throwing for a clutch strikeout to preserve the tie.
 
Lindsay hit a one-out single to give MU a baserunner in the bottom of the seventh, but Tressa hit a hard liner right into the first baseman's glove, allowing him to end the inning on a double play.
 
Vogeli got two quick flyouts in the top of the eight before allowing a Chrismer double to right center. Vogeli remained unfazed, getting Westdyk to fly out to center to give the Cougars yet another chance.
 
This time, MU would make the most of it. Sulcoski reached on a throwing error to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and a Durling walk advanced Bryce Frankenfield- who pinch ran for Sulcoski- to second base. Both runners advanced on a passed ball, and Cacchioli was intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs. Tagliarini hit a hard grounder to the second baseman, but Borger muffed the ball, allowing Frankenfield to score and end the game.
 
Vogeli earned the win in relief for the Cougars, allowing two hits and no runs in two innings while striking out one. Justin Haddix lasted four innings after making the start, allowing four hits and three runs while walking four. Brandon Barber also pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing four hits and one run in relief. Sulcoski went 3-4 with an RBI to lead the Cougar offense in game two.
 
 With the win in the first game, DeSales clinched the season series and the head-to-head tiebreaker with MU, but the Cougars game-two victory left the two teams tied on top of the Freedom standings at 10-2.
 
MU returns to action tomorrow with a nine-inning, non-conference game at Neumann.