The Misericordia University baseball team completed a sweep of top-ranked Christopher Newport with a 4-3 victory, Saturday afternoon to advance to the NCAA Super Regional.
Taylor Price earned the win in relief and Kyle Melahn tied his own school record with his eighth save of the season.
Post-game Press Conference
Price entered with no outs and two runners in the bottom of the fifth and navigated his way out of the jam.
Melahn allowed just two hits and one over 3.2 innings to secure the win.
Billy Kerwien had a two-run single for the Cougars and Parker Abate and Steve Weisensee each drove in runs with consecutive hit by pitches in a four-run sixth inning.
Kenny Jarema reached base four times, including three walks, to extend his on-base streak to 34 consecutive games.
Alejandro Santiago started on the mound for the Cougars and held Christopher Newport scoreless for the first four innings.
The Captains took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth and had two runners on before Price entered in relief of Santiago.
After a sacrifice bunt, Price induced a foul out and line out to end the threat.
Misericordia answered with all four of its runs in its next at bat.
Tyler Holzapfel began the rally with a one-out walk and went to third when Shane Hughes double to right field. Kerwien ripped a single down the right field line to plate both runners and tie the game, 2-2.
Sean Boylan reached base on a two-out throwing error to keep the inning alive and Jarema was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Abate was hit on a 1-1 pitch to force in the go-ahead run and Weisensee was hit plunked on the first pitch to add an insurance run.
The Cougars were hit by pitch for times on the day to extend their nationally-leading mark to 106.
Christopher Newport got a run one back on a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Melahn retired the Captains in order in the seventh.
After a scoreless eighth, CNU put two runners on in the bottom of the ninth, but Melahn got a fielder's choice grounder and a strikeout to end the game.
Misericordia improved to 35-11 and advanced to next weekend's NCAA Super Regional where they will face the winner of the Salisbury Regional in a best-of-three series.
