Playoff Time: It all comes down to this

Greensburg, PA – This week, the Fisher Baseball team (27-18-1), champions of the Sunrise Conference, will take on the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, Brescia University (33-21) for the right to advance to the NAIA Regionals. Brescia advanced to this playoff series by beating Indiana-Southeast 2-1 in the KIAC Tournament. After dropping the first game, 12-7, Brescia stormed back and captured the KIAC title by winning the next two elimination games, 6-3 and 14-9. Fisher advanced by sweeping through the Sunrise Conference Tournament and outscoring their opponents, 44-7.

The explosive Fisher offense is lead by three time Sunrise Conference Player of the Year and 2009 NAIA Pre-Season All American, Tom Englehardt (SR. / Bradford, MA). On the season, Englehardt leads the team in several categories including average (.460), hits (58) and doubles (14). He is also tied for the team lead in runs scored (39) with sophomore Mike Oliveira (Tewksbury, MA). Oliveira is a key catalyst for the Falcon offense as he ranks third on the team in hits (42)and walks (30) in his first full season of play. His .434 on base percentage from the leadoff spot allows senior Eddy Delcarmen (Boston, MA) and junior Edwin Pena (Union City, NJ) to rack up the RBIs. Pena is a feared slugger in the middle of the order as his 9 home runs and 45 RBIs are good for the team lead. Delcarmen ranks second on the team in those categories, 6 HRs, 38 RBIs. Known for his defensive prowess, junior Zack Thompson (Salem, MA) has quietly put together his best college season. He is currently hitting at a .373 average (2^nd on team) with 31 RBIs out of the 9^th spot in the batting order. Another surprise for Fisher has freshman Gary Lunetta (North Andover, MA) whose versatility has been vital for the Falcons. Lunetta has seen time at first base, second base, third base and in the outfield. He is one of several Fisher Falcons who are hitting above the .300 mark (.332 to be exact) and also leads the team in stolen bases with 11. Sophomores Matthew McDougal-Shaver (Minneapolis, MN) and Kevin Ryan (Cheshire, CT) round out the rest of the .300 hitters in the Falcon order. McDougal-Shaver has a .303 average while providing a solid glove at first base. Ryan, meanwhile, is doing good with his bat and arm. At the plate, Ryan is hitting .336 with a team leading 6 triples and 23 RBIs. On the mound, he is 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA in 36 2/3 innings pitched.

They say that good pitching beats good hitting. If that’s the case, then Fisher’s chances are pretty good as they have a couple studs. The staff is lead by junior Samuel Luciano (Union City, NJ), who is 6-2 with a 3.21 ERA. He also leads the team in innings pitched with 52 1/3. Helping out Luciano is senior Jarlin Gomez (Lawrence, MA) and junior Patrick Shanahan (Haverhill, MA). Gomez is second on the team in strikeouts with 57. He sports a 4-3 record with a 3.82 ERA. Shanahan is 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA and, a team leading, 70 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings pitched. Another pitcher who shouldn’t be forgotten is Thompson. He went 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 5 games pitched. Anchoring the bullpen is sophomore Mark Dorso (Waterbury, CT) and freshman Austin Brodie (Haverhill, MA). Dorso leads the team in saves with 2 and is second, behind Brodie, in appearances with 17. Brodie, who has appeared 19 times, has a 2.78 ERA and is allowing the opposing batters to a .195 average. Also helping out in the bullpen is Ryan, who has one save on the year.

For Brescia University, they have five players hitting above the .340 mark. Leading the team is Jon Troutman (SR. / Owensboro, KY). Troutman has a .445 batting average with a team leading 20 doubles. Joining Troutman in the .400 club is Jared Votaw (JR. / Durham, CA). Votaw leads the team in home runs (7) and RBI (54) while checking in with a .431 average. The other Bearcats batters that are hitting above .340 are Steve Vasquez (JR. / Whittier, CA), .382, Justin McCormack (JR. / Hawesville, KY), .348, and Matt Boyd (SO. / Rockport, IN), .347. Brescia will most likely have Joey Barnette () pitching game one. He has a 7-4 record with a 2.22 ERA in 70+ innings pitched and 6 complete games. Eric Castle () is second on the team in wins. He is 6-3 with a 5.40 ERA. The Brescia bullpen is anchored by workhorse Thomas Nelson. He has appeared in 20 games, going 2-2 with a 3.24 ERA.

“As long as we play our game, our style, we will have a shot to win.” said Englehardt, when asked about his team’s chances of winning. “Brescia is a good club. They‘ve battled back from a game down to get here. They have a good offense. Our pitchers and our defense need to keep them at bay and let our offense take over. It’ll be a good series.”

The series starts on Tuesday, May 5^th with a 1pm start. Game two will take place on Wednesday, May 6^th starting at 11am. Game Three (if necessary) will be 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game two. The series is being played at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA.