The Misericordia University baseball team finished off a sweep of DeSales in the MAC Freedom Semifinals with a 13-5 win, Saturday at Tambur Field.

The Cougars will advance to the best-of-three championship series at Arcadia, Friday and Saturday, May 12-13.

Brock Bollinger and Connor Maryniak had three hits each and Brendan Gray had two hits and three RBI.

Steve Rinda allowed just two earned runs over seven innings and Joe Valenti got the last five outs as the Cougars improved to 32-10.

Misericordia took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.  Garrett McIlhenney walked to extend his on-base streak to 42 consecutive games and moved to second on Bollinger's single through the left side.  Both runners moved up on Derrick Vosburg's fielder's choice and the Cougars scored the first run on a squeeze bunt by Brady Madden.

DeSales answered with four runs in the top of the second in part due to two MU errors to take a 4-1 lead.

The Cougars responded with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead.  Connor Maryniak drew a lead-off walk and came all the way around when Gray hit a first-pitch double off the wall at the 375-foot mark in right center.  Jason Sanfilippo singled off the glove off a diving third baseman and the Cougars loaded the bases on an error on Jack Regenye's sacrifice bunt.  McIlhenney drove in a run on a ground out and the Cougars went back in front on Bollinger's two-run double down the line off the glove of another diving attempt by the DeSales third baseman.

Misericordia scored four more in the third without hitting the ball out of the infield.  Madden drew the Cougars third straight lead-off walk and the Cougars loaded the bases on back-to-back perfectly placed  bunts.  Two runs came home when Gray reached on an infield error to make it 7-4.  Two more bunts made it 8-4 and McIlhenney reached on an infield single to put MU up 9-4.

DeSales got a run back in the fourth to get within 9-5.

Misericordia added an insurance run in the seventh.  Connor Maryniak lined a single to left and moved to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt.  Jack Regenye singled deep in the hole on the left side to make it 10-5.

Bollinger doubled over the third base bag to start the eighth and came home on Derrick Vosburg's double over the first base bag.  Joe Comins added an RBI-double just inside the first base bag and pinch-runner Owen Ayers rounded out the scoring on Gray's single to center.