FROSTBURG, Md. – The rally in the closing two innings for the second-seeded Marymount (Va.) University baseball team was cut short on Thursday afternoon by third-seeded Salisbury University, as the Sea Gulls held the Saints on a bases-loaded situation to take the decision, 6-5. 

It is Marymount's first loss of the double-elimination Capital Athletic Conference tournament, as championship weekend continues for the Saints on Friday at top-seeded and host Frostburg State University against sixth-seeded Penn State University-Harrisburg. First pitch is set for 9 a.m. 

The matchup between the only two untouched teams in the tournament was a pitchers' duel for much of the game, seeing just a combined three runs touch home plate in the first five innings. 

Senior Charlie DiGiulian started on the mound, holding the Sea Gulls to just one run through that five-inning stretch, while the Saints brought in a run in the third and the fifth to take the 2-1 advantage. In the third with no outs and freshman Nick Smutko on third, freshman Luke Tyree grounded out to second base while Smutko got a good jump to score on the play. 

The Saints took over the lead in the fifth following a leadoff triple by freshman Conner Hall. Tyree stepped back into the batter's box, smacking a high-fly ball to left field, far enough back for Hall to tag third and rush home for the 2-1 lead. 

DiGiulian got rattled a little in the top of the sixth, as the Gulls brought around two to reclaim the advantage, 3-2, off a RBI triple to center and a runner making it home on a wild pitch. But the senior refocused, working out of the inning with a groundout and a strikeout to send the game to the bottom half of the frame. 

Junior Ben Berczek kicked off the bottom half of the sixth with a stand-up double to center field. That's as far as he would go on the bases, however, with the next three batters unable to get anything to drop to bring in the junior. No harm was done though, as DiGiulian came back out on the mound in the seventh to work a three up, three down to give the Saints another opportunity to draw the game even. 

That's exactly what MU did in the seventh. With one out, Hall found a gap between the third baseman and shortstop to reach first base, before being shifted over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tyree. Now two outs on the board, junior Lorenzo Calderon stepped in, who is known for his speed. Even with two outs, Calderon laid his bat down for the bunt, reaching first base successfully and advancing Hall to third. It wasn't much longer that the duo mixed it up on the Sea Gull pitcher, as Calderon and Hall both sprinted for the steal. Calderon had enough of the distraction to get to second while Hall swiped his hand over home plate for the tying run. 

The top of the eighth didn't play into the favor of the Saints, as DiGiulian came back in for the first out before seeing a double to right field wrap up his day. Junior John LaMotta came in for relief, but it wasn't his day on the mound, as three runs still made their way around to give SU a 6-3 advantage late. 

It wasn't enough for the Saints to look past the rest of the game and into tomorrow, throwing on the rally caps for the last inning and a half. The momentum quickly swung into the favor of Marymount in the bottom half of the eighth, kicked off by a grounder right up the middle by senior Ryan Blake. Two batters later, sophomore Stephen Berczek hit a short chopper toward the third baseman who failed to make a clean scoop allowing Berczek to reach and advance Blake to second. Smutko stepped in next, laying his bat down for the sacrifice bunt, but it was hit perfectly by the freshman to swiftly get to first and load the bases up for Hall. 

The freshman shortstop/relief pitcher connected early in the count, sending a deep shot to right field for the two RBI single to get the Saints within one, 6-5. 

Hall, who put the final touch on the eighth on the mound, came in looking to keep the score at 6-5 in the top of the ninth, and did just that. Holding the score, the Saints saw an opportunity to either send the game to extra innings or walk off with the win in the bottom half of the frame. 

Although the Saints opened up their at-bat with a strikeout, the next three batters found the outfield to juice the bases. Ben Berczek started up the rally with a single to right field following a nine-pitch at-bat. Blake and junior Brandon Orbe followed, both hitting singles into the right side of the outfield on first pitches to load up the bases with one out and forcing a pitching change for the Gulls. 

Unfortunately, the reliever for SU worked his team out of the situation, sitting down the next two Saint batters. 

DiGiulian worked the mound for 7.1 innings, striking out five Sea Gulls out of the 30 batters faced. 

The Saints will look to keep their title hopes alive on Friday at 9 a.m., as they take on Penn State-Harrisburg in an elimination game at Frostburg. The Lions also dropped their first contest of the tournament on Thursday, falling to Wesley College, 10-6.