LAKELAND, Fla. - Leading 8-4 in the eighth inning, the Mount Saint Mary College baseball team conceded six runs in the bottom of the eighth to lose to New Jersey City University by a final score of 10-8.

The Knights jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to a first inning home run from junior Michael Matuk (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and a two-run triple from sophomore Vinnie Carminati (Huntington, N.Y.).  Junior Michael Morelli (Washingtonville, N.Y.) homered in the third inning to make it 5-2, Knights.  MSMC would scratch out another run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to carry an 8-4 advantage into the later innings.

NJCU strung together six hits in the bottom of the eighth for six earned runs.

Carminati finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and a pair of RBIs.  Morelli went 2-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI, while senior John Conroy (Middletown, N.Y.) also came up with a pair of hits.

The Knights return north with an overall record of 6-5.  For their next game, they'll host John Jay on Tuesday, March 20 at Dutchess Stadium.