NEWBURGH, NY – A furious late-inning rally fell just short in the first game of Monday's double-header, but Mount Saint Mary responded with a 5-2 victory in game two, earning a split with St. Joseph's College in Skyline Conference action. The Blue Knights (7-3 Skyline) moved to 20-5 overall, marking their first 20-win season since 2003. The Golden Ealges are now 12-11 overall and 6-3 in the Skyline.

Trailing 8-0 headed into the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Knights scored a pair of runs on a two-out single by sophomore Billy Casey (Marlboro, N.Y.). Freshman Zach Shaw (Palisades Park, N.Y.), pinch-running for Casey, worked his way around the bases and scored on a wild pitch to make the score 8-3.

In the ninth, sophomore Mike Umphlett (North Stonington, Conn.) walked to lead off the inning and then scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Brian Visconti (Newburgh, N.Y.). Then, a two-out error by the St. Joseph's shortstop extended the inning and allowed sophomore Louis Peisel (Brewster, N.Y.) to reach. Freshman Brian McNoble (Lynbrook, N.Y.) worked a walk and then freshman Dan McCrea (Hicksville, N.Y.) brought home both runners with a double that made the score 8-6. Pinch hitter John Conroy (Middletown, N.Y.) earned a walk, and on a double steal, the St. Joseph's catcher threw the ball into left field, allowing McCrea to score and Conroy to move to third. Now with the tying run just 90 feet away, St. Joseph's sophomore Justin Maravegias (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) struck out senior Jim Marsh (Maybrook, N.Y.) to end the game.

St. Joseph's sophomore Joe Benkert (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) pitched seven-plus innings to earn the win for the Golden Eagles. He allowed three runs and ten hits while striking out five. Mount Saint Mary senior Michael Redmond (Stone Ridge, N.Y.) allowed eight hits and five runs over five innings to take the loss for the Blue Knights.

McCrea finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Peisel and senior Matthew Germann (Islip, N.Y.) had two hits apiece.

St. Joseph's junior Ryan Carroll (Patchogue, N.Y.) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a run batted in. Senior Matt Timmons (Miller Place, N.Y.) had 3 RBIs while freshman Prateek Thaman (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and sophomore Nick Rizzo (Massapequa, N.Y.) had two hits each.

In game two, the Blue Knights snagged an early lead with two runs in the first inning. Umphlett, Visconti, and Germann strung together three singles to give the Mount a 2-0 advantage.

The Golden Eagles got one back in the second on a sacrifice fly by senior Jon Welsh (Bethpage, N.Y.) and then tied the game in the fourth on a single by Welsh. Sophomore Frank DiPresso (Medford, N.Y.) scored both runs for St. Joseph's.

With the game still tied at two, Peisel led off the sixth with a rope to right-center that resulted in a triple. He scored on a bloop single by McNoble to make it 3-2. Now with two outs, Marsh and junior Rich DeRosa (Valley Stream, N.Y.) singled and then scored on a double by freshman Max Tecce (Glen Cove, N.Y.).

Leading 5-2, freshman Ben Shortslef (Sterling, N.Y.) worked himself into a jam in the top of the seventh. He pitched an effective sixth but had to be lifted with one out in the seventh after walking three consecutive batters. Junior Chris Gage (Saugerties, N.Y.) entered the game and struck out the next two batters to preserve the victory for the Blue Knights. Shortslef picked up the win and Gage was credited with a save.

Up next for the Mount is a non-conference date with the College of Staten Island. A single game is scheduled for Thursday, April 16 at 5:00 p.m. in Newburgh.