NEWBURGH, N.Y. - Following a pre-game ceremony to honor the team's seven seniors, the Mount Saint Mary College baseball team pounded John Jay on Thursday night by a score of 12-4. The Knights moved to double digits in the win column and improved to 10-18 on the season.
After allowing a run in the top of the first, Mount Saint Mary took control of the game with two runs in the first, one in the second, and five in the third. Junior
Billy Casey (Marlboro, N.Y.) and sophomore
Max Tecce (Glen Cove, N.Y.) laced back-to-back run-scoring singles in the first inning, and after senior
Rich DeRosa (Valley Stream, N.Y.) tripled in the second, senior
Wilson Rosa (Fort Lee, N.J.) made it 3-0 with an RBI-groundout.
Mount Saint Mary delivered the biggest blow of the game in the third inning. The Knights loaded the bases, all with two outs, to set the table for DeRosa. The senior came through, launching a grand slam to left field, to stake the Knights to an 8-1 lead.
DeRosa added to his senior day heroics with an RBI-single in the fifth inning. Later in the fifth, senior
Mike Umphlett (North Stonington, Conn.) crushed a two-run triple to the wall in center field to make the score 11-1.
Senior pitcher Brian O'Connor (Campbell Hall, N.Y.) collected the victory for the Knights, allowing just one hit and one earned run in four innings of work.
DeRosa finished the evening 3-for-4 with three runs scored and five runs batted in. He finished a double shy of the cycle. Rosa went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Umphlett went 1-for-5 with a run and a pair of runs batted in.
Senior pitchers
Frank Snyder (Wallkill, N.Y.) and
Kyle Smith (Franklin Square, N.Y.) also got in on the antics, each taking an at-bat in the ninth inning. Unfortunately for both, the at-bats ended in strikeouts. Senior
Chris Gage (Saugerties, N.Y.) was also honored in a pre-game ceremony.
The Knights return to action on Saturday with a pair of important Skyline Conference games at Purchase College. Playoff positioning is on the line during a 12:00 p.m. start.
