BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- The Buccaneers played their first of five games this week on Monday against Eastern Nazarene at Hendy Field. After three innings, Maritime led 5-0, though in the second half of the game the Lions took control of momentum and came back to win 9-7. 

The Basics

Final: Lions 9, Buccaneers 7

Records: Eastern Nazarene (6-5)

             Maritime (2-4)

On The Mound

Eastern Nazarene: Jon Tessier (W, 2-0): 7.1 IP | 6 H | 3 R | 2 ER | 3 BB | 6 K

Maritime: John Tropea ND: 5 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 7 K

                Brett Velzis (L, 0-1): 1 IP | 1 H | 2 R | 1 ER | 2 BB | 1 K

At The Plate

Maritime

• Maritime tallied nine hits, two each from Alex Schlapak, Hunter Dean, and Chris Perito.
• Perito drove in two runs with Schlapak, Aidan Henderson, and Tucker Leslie each driving in one.
• Velzis worked two walks in the game.
• Michael Estrada, Schlapak and Dean each had extra base hits, all doubles.
• Perito, Henderson, and Michael Doyle were all credited with stolen bases in the game.

Eastern Nazarene

• The Lions tallied 11 hits, three from Shane McNamara and two from Brandon Guerrero.
• McNamara drove in three runs and scored four times. Ethaniel Almendarez and Anderson Jimenez each drove in two runs.
• Frank Ladeiro, McNamara, Jimenez and Almendarez each had extra base hits in the game. McNamara was a single away from the cycle as he tallied a double, triple and home run. Ladeiro and Jimenez each had doubles and Almendarez had a triple.
• Juan Jacobo Lopez and Tyler Bean each stole a bag for the Lions.

How It Happened

The Buccaneers were cruising through the first three innings of the game behind a top notch performance from Tropea. Maritime took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Henderson single that scored Doyle. In the bottom of the second they extended their lead to 4-0, scoring three on a Perito sacrifice fly, a Schlapak double and an error on Eastern Naz. The Bucs would extend their lead again in the third on a Leslie single that scored Estrada. Maritime held a commanding 5-0 lead after three innings.

In the top of the fourth, the Lions jumped on the board on McNamara's solo shot to right center. with the score 5-1, Maritime could not score in the next three innings. In the sixth, after a scoreless fifth, the Lions cut the deficit to one on a McNamara double that scored one and Jiminez's double that scored two. 

Keeping the Bucs off the board again, Eastern erased the Buccaneer lead in the seventh, first tying the game at 5-5 on McNamara's third extra base hit of the game, a triple. Then, Almendarez homered to score himself and McNamara to make it 7-5 Lions.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Bucs scored two to tie the game. Perito reached on an infield single to score Leslie and then scored on a double steal that ended the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Eastern Nazarene grounded into what could have been a double play but ended up being a fielder's choice and an Estrada error that scored two to give the Lions a 9-7 lead. The guests went on to win by that same score as the Bucs went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.

What's Next

The Buccaneers travel to Coast Guard on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup with the Bears beginning at 3:30pm.