GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Neumann University baseball team battled in its first day of the Atlantic East Conference postseason. The Knights fell to host Gwynedd Mercy 9-5 and then Marymount University 12-11 in 12 innings, to end its quest.
 
In the first game, the Knights put four runs on the board in the top of the third inning for an early lead. With one out, Neumann strung together seven straight hits. Tre'Zhan Selby and John Schoelkopf tallied back-to-back hits and both scored on a double by Danny Padilla. Curt Yenchik and Andrew La Rosa would follow with RBI singles.
 
The Griffins got on the board with a run in the home half of the third. The Knights added another run in the fifth inning as La Rosa scored on a single by Marty Cortellessa. Gwynedd Mercy tied the score at five as it took advantage of a Neumann error and plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
 
With the score knotted at five, the Griffins scored four runs in the seventh inning, capped by a two-run homerun. The seventh was the difference as Gwynedd Mercy came away with the 9-5 win.
 
Phil Sanborn started the game on the mound and went 4.2 innings in the no decision. He allowed five runs, three earned, on four hits. Jared Morris suffered the loss, going 3.0 innings. David Alvarez tallied the final out of the eighth inning.
 
It would take 12 innings against Marymount for a winner to be decided. Schoelkopf led off the game with a triple and scored on an RBI ground out by Padilla. La Rosa scored Neumann's second run in the second inning. He doubled and scored as Colin Pollard reached on an error.
 
The Saints tied the game at two in the bottom of the third.
 
The Knights took back the lead with a run in the fifth. Zach Ray singled and scored on an RBI groundout by Selby. Neumann added three runs in the sixth inning. With one out, Yenchik and La Rosa hit back-to-back singles. Ray knocked in Yenchik with a double. Pollard then followed with a two-run single.
 
Marymount came back to tie the game, again, with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Neither team would score in the ninth and the game went to extra innings.
 
After a scoreless 10^th inning, the Knights went up by one in the 11^th with an RBI single by Selby. The Saints answered right back and sent the game to the 12^th inning.
 
In the top of the 12^th, Neumann loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. With two outs, Pollard was also hit-by-pitch to force in Anthony Basciano. Cortellessa ripped a bases-clearing double to put the Knights up 11-7.
 
One again, the Saints answered as they sent eight batters to the plate and scored five runs for the walk-off win.
 
Josh Cruz started the game and went the first 7.2 innings. He allowed six runs, five earned, on 10 hits. He struck out five. Brennan Hatala faced two batters before Will Hart came in from the bullpen. Hart went 3.1 innings and allowed three runs on five hits and struck out four. Nick Glebocki took the loss, coming in from the pen in the 12^th inning.
 
Neumann finishes its season 14-22 overall.