The Misericordia University baseball team won a nail-biter at the NCAA St. Paul Regional with a 6-5 win over Aurora University, Sunday, to advance to the final day of the tournament.

Isaac Snyder held the Spartans in check over 6.2 innings of work to improve to 3-0.  He struck out five batters and allowed just one on four hits.   Joe Valenti came in to close the door for Misericordia for the final two outs and notch his third save.

Sean Boylan led the Cougars with two hits and three RBI and Austin Miles continued his impressive performance at the plate with three hits, two RBI and a run scored.  Brady Madden added a hit and two runs scored while Dante Salerno had a hit, an RBI and scored a run.

The Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead early on in the top of the first inning.  Santino Manganella led things off with a walk and advanced to second after Shane Hughes reached on an error.  Salerno singled to center to drive in MU's first run and Boylan tagged a ball over the second baseman's head to make it 2-0.

Things got going again for MU in the top of the fifth when Madden singled to left and stole second on the next pitch.  Joe Liscio moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and Miles executed a squeeze play to push the lead to 3-0.

Aurora responded in the bottom half of the fifth with one run, Snyder worked out of a jam with runners on first and second and just one out.

MU's got the bats going again in the top of the eighth inning following a lead-off single by Miles.  Manganella moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and two batters later, Salerno reached on an error.   Boylan doubled to center field to score both runners and extend MU's the lead to 5-2.

The final run of the day for the Cougars came after Madden was hit-by-pitch and stole a base in the top of the ninth.   Miles tacked on his second RBI with a blooper over the head of the second baseman.

The run proved pivotal as the Spartans pulled within one run in the bottom of the ninth, but Valenti came on to get the final two outs.

The Cougars are 31-9 and will play Northwestern, Monday at noon with the winner advancing to the championship game against Johns Hopkins.