The Misericordia University baseball team opened the 2021 season with a split at DeSales, Saturday.

The Cougars took the opener, 12-3, but dropped the nightcap, 6-5, in 10 innings.

Sean Boylan had three hits and four RBI in the opener and Dalton Emerich added two hits, three runs and two RBI.

Derrick Vosburg had two hits and Joe Liscio drove in two runs.

Tom Jacob struck out nine and scattered four hits over six innings to pick up the win.

Boylan and Dante Salerno had two hits each in the nightcap.

Joe Valenti struck out five in five innings of work, but didn't factor in the decision.

DeSales scored in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings to tie score, 5-5, and walked-off in the 10^th.

In the opener, Misericordia took a 3-0 lead in the top of third.  Vosburg led off the third with a double down the left field line.  He moved up on a wild pitch and scored on Liscio's sacrifice fly.

Emerich reached on a bunt single and advanced on a fielder's choice.  Boylan singled to load the bases and Austin Miles' infield single made it 2-0.  Salerno came home on a wild pitch to end the scoring.

The Cougars added four more in the fourth.  Shane Hughes reached on an infield single, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and came around on Liscio's single.  Emerich walked and Salerno followed with an RBI-double to right center.  Boylan's single to left field gave the Cougars a 7-0 lead.

After DeSales got one back in their half, the Cougars put the game away with five in the fifth.  Emerich and Boylan both had two-run singles to key the rally.

DeSales took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap, but the Cougars responded with a run in the top of the second.

Owen VanNewKirk reached on an error to lead off the inning and eventually scored on Liscio's sacrifice fly.

DeSales went back in front in the bottom of the second and the Cougars answered in the top of the third.  Salerno led off with a single and moved up on Boylan's walk.  Both runners advanced on a fly out and Salerno came home on Brady Madden's sacrifice fly.

MU took their first lead with a pair of runs in the fourth.  With two down, Liscio singled and went to third on Nick Reposa's single.  Salerno singled down the left field line to put the Cougars ahead and Boylan doubled in a run to make it 4-2.

DeSales cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the fifth.

Misericordia got it back in the eighth.  Garrett McIlhenney drew a lead-off walk and Salerno was hit by a pitch.  After a sacrifice bunt, McIlhenney scored on the front end of a double steal for a 5-3 lead.

DeSales put together two-out rallies to score a run in the eighth and ninth innings got the game-winning hit with two outs in the 10^th.

Misericordia will host DeSales for a doubleheader, Sunday at Tambur Field.