Manchester, N.H. (5/20/17)  The #6 Dominican College baseball team fell to #4 LIU Post University Pioneers, 9-5, this afternoon in an elimination game at the 2017 NCAA Division II Baseball East Regional Tournament, hosted by Southern New Hampshire University on Penmen Field.

With the loss, the Chargers end the season with an overall record of 22-29.

The Pioneers struck first in the top of the second when Zach Fritz led off by belting a pitch to straightaway center field for a solo home run and an RBI single through the left side by Sal Geraci's made the score 2-0.

Dominican chopped its deficit in half in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout, but a two-out throwing error  in the third regained a two-run lead for LIU Post, 3-1.

The Chargers cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fourth on back-to-back doubles from Anthony Bartolomei (Oakhurst, N.J.) and Justin Decker (Rotterdam, N.Y.).

DC capitalized on a pair of errors in the fifth frame to push across a two runs on Bartolomei's two-out single up the middle that gave the Chargers a 4-3 edge. 

LIU Post answered back in the sixth on Thomas Asbaty's solo shot to right to re-tie the contest, 4-4.

The Pioneers re-captured the lead in the seventh on Fritz' second long-ball of the day – a three-run blast to left-center – that put LIU Post in front, 7-4.

Dominican grabbed a run back in the home half on Bartolomei's two-out RBI single to center to make it a two-run game, but LIU Post seized more cushion with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to go up, 9-5.

Bartolomei paced the Dominican offense by going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Joshua Colon (Bronx, N.Y.) went 2-for-3 with a walk and Decker was 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Nathanial Popiel (Mechanicville, N.Y.) relinquished seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits in six-plus innings of work for Dominican, striking out five and walking a pair to end the season with a 3-5 record.