Newburgh, N.Y. - Playing their best baseball of the season to date, Mount Saint Mary College swept Farmingdale State College in a Skyline Conference double-header Monday evening. The Blue Knights won the first game, 6-1, and the second game, 5-2, behind solid pitching in each contest. The Mount is now 6-11 overall and boosted their conference record to 4-2, good enough for third place. The Rams dropped to 12-13 overall, and tumbled from first place to fifth in the conference standings (5-3).
In game one, junior Frank Snyder (Wallkill, N.Y.) went the distance for the Blue Knights, allowing just eight hits and one earned run while striking out four. Snyder stranded nine Rams on the bases and induced a groundball double play in the fourth inning and then again in the eighth inning. The junior worked around a leadoff single and an error in the ninth to finish off the complete game.
Mount Saint Mary put runs on the board for Snyder right away, tallying two in the bottom of the first. Senior Brian Visconti (Newburgh, N.Y.) led off the game with a line drive home run to left field. The ball left the park in a hurry for Visconti's second homer of the season. Junior Matthew Berger (Cochecton, N.Y.) and senior Chris Schacca (Franklin Square, N.Y.) followed with singles and then Berger scored as senior Anthony Forgione (Franklin Square, N.Y.) grounded into a double play. Visconti scored again in the third inning after leading off with a single. Berger sacrificed Visconti to second and then Schacca drilled an RBI double to make the score 3-0.
Sophomore Greg Diamond (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) started up a three-run rally in the seventh with a single up the middle. Visconti walked and then Berger singled to load up the bases. Schacca drew a walk to score a run and then Forgione snuck a single inside the first base bag to drive in two more runs.
Visconti finished 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Schacca and Forgione each drove in a pair of runs and Berger was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
In game two, junior Mike Redmond (Stone Ridge, N.Y.) picked up where Snyder left off on the hill. Redmond worked six strong innings for the Blue Knights, allowing just five hits and no earned runs. After allowing two unearned runs in the fourth, Redmond prevented further damage with a strikeout, stranding runners at second and third. The junior got a line drive double play in the fifth and then left another Ram on third base with a strikeout in the sixth.
After Redmond walked the first two hitters in the seventh and final inning, Berger came in to close out the Rams. The junior struck out Farmingdale's lead-off hitter and number three hitter before getting a ground ball to third base to end the game. It was Berger's first save of the year.
The Mount Saint Mary bats stayed hot into the first inning of the second game as they staked Redmond to a 3-0 lead. Visconti drew a walk and Berger bunted for a hit to set up Schacca. Schacca drove a single to right field, scoring Visconti from second. Forgione followed with a single through the left side to score Berger from second. With two outs, freshman William Casey (Marlboro, N.Y.) grounded a pitch back through the box for a single that scored Schacca.
Farmingdale scored twice in the fourth as junior Brian Benvenuto (Dix Hills, N.Y.) led off the inning with a double off the wall. Benevenuto came around to score on an error and then sophomore Frank Ennis (Commack, N.Y.) scored on a single by junior Rich Gili (Manorville, N.Y.).
The top of the order for the Mount struck again in the fifth with Visconti leading off with a single. After Visconti stole second, Schacca was intentionally walked to give the Mount runners at first and second. Junior Mattthew Germann (Islip, N.Y.) doubled down the left field line, just sneaking the ball over the bag at third base. Visconti scored easily from second and Schacca, hustling the whole way from first, slid in to the plate just ahead of the tag.
Visconti was 1-for-2 in the game and scored twice for the Mount. Senior B.J. Masopust (Wallkill, N.Y.) was 3-for-3, recording the only multi-hit game for the Blue Knights in the second game.
Up next for Mount Saint Mary is non-conference foe, Albertus Magnus. The Blue Knights will host Albertus Magnus in a pair of seven-inning games on Tuesday, April 8 starting at 5:00 p.m. in Newburgh.
