Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Misericordia University baseball team swept two games from top-seeded Salve Regina to capture the NCAA Regional title, Sunday at Tambur Field.

The Cougars built a 12-4 lead in the opener and held on for a 12-9 win.  Misericordia took a 7-0 lead after one inning in the nightcap and cruised to a 19-6 win.

Max Oliver worked 8.1 innings to get the win in the opener and Tyler Leonard got the last two outs for the save.

Garrett McIlhenney had three hits, including a solo homer, and scored four runs and Connor Maryniak drove in three runs in game one.  Jason Sanfilippo and Jack Regenye both had two hits.

Joe Valenti worked four innings in his second start in three days and Leonard worked two innings to get the win in the nightcap.

Maryniak drove in five runs in game two and Sanfilippo had three hits and four RBI.  Derrick Vosburg and Brady Madden both drove in three runs as the Cougars improved to 37-13.

Oliver delivered one of most-clutch postseason performances in program history in the opener as the Cougars avoided elimination.

He scattered 10 hits and was especially effective once the Cougars gave him a lead.

Down 2-0, the Cougars went in front with three runs in the top of the third.  Sanfilippo lined a single to center but was erased on a fielder's choice.  McIlhenney lined a 3-2 pitch through the box and past a diving Salve Regina shortstop for a hit-and-run single as Regenye raced to third.  Bollinger was hit by a pitch to load the bases and the Cougars scored their first run on a balk.  Vosburg drove in a run on a ground out and Madden lined a two-out single to left to put the Cougars up, 3-2.

MU added a run on McIlhenney's two-out solo homer in the fifth, but the Seahawks scored twice in the bottom of the frame to tie it, 4-4.

Misericordia broke the game open with a seven-run sixth.  Maryniak greeted a new pitcher with a one-hop double off the wall in right center and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt.  Sanfilippo's RBI-single deflected off the pitcher.  Sanfilippo stole second and came around to score on Regenye's bouncer through the middle for a 6-4 lead.

McIlhenney drew a four-pitch walk to force another pitching change.  One out later, Vosburg walked on four pitches to load the bases and Madden walked to make it 7-4.  Comins drew another four-pitch walk to make it 8-4 and Maryniak cleared the bases with a double to left center to give MU an 11-4 lead.

The Cougars added a two-out run in the seventh when McIlhenney singled to left and later scored on Bollinger's double to left.

Salve Regina rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate.  Leonard came on and after allowing a single, induced a 1-6-3 double play to end the game.

MU got another gutsy pitching performance in the nightcap as Valenti allowed just one run over four innings and Leonard struck out three in two scoreless innings to get the win.

The Cougars scored seven runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back.

McIlhenney walked on four pitches to start the inning and extend his on-base streak to 50 games.  McIlhenney stole second and following a ground out, swiped third.  Vosburg lined a single to right for the first run and Madden was plunked on a 3-2 pitch.  Comins reached on an infield error to load the bases and Vosburg scored on a fielder's choice to make it 2-0.  Maryniak stole second and Brendan Gray walked to load the bases and Sanfilippo singled through the left side for a 4-0 lead.  Regenye singled through the right side to drive in the fifth run and McIlhenney drew his second walk of the inning to force a pitching change.  Bollinger singled to center to drive in two runs and give MU a 7-0 lead.

The Cougars put the game away with eight two-out runs in the bottom of the fifth.  Sanfilippo beat out a slow roller to third and McIlhenney reached on a two-out error.  Bollinger reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases and Vosburg singled back through the box to make it 9-1.   Madden lined a two-run single to right to extend the lead to 11-1.  Comins walked and Maryniak drove in a pair with a doubled off the wall in right field.  Gray walked and Sanfilippo doubled down the left field line to put MU in front, 15-1.

Madden had an RBI-single in a four-run sixth and Maryniak had another two-run double.  Gray drove in the final on a ground out.