MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Mount Saint Mary College baseball team (1-5) picked up a split in its final day at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday. The Knights opened the day by defeating Johnson & Wales University (1-1), 5-0, but finished up with a loss to the University of Mary Washington (6-0) by a score of 9-4.
Junior
Ryan Turton (Westbury, N.Y.) turned in a spectacular start for the Knights in game one, going eight shutout innings to improve to 1-0 on the season. He allowed just six hits and struck out one across eight frames. Sophomore reliever
Kevin Duffy (Wallingford, Conn.) came in to close the game in the ninth, yielding just one hit and no runs. Wildcat starter Shawn Haugh (0-1) allowed three runs (one earned) in seven innings to shoulder the loss.
The Knights got going early, beginning with an RBI single by senior third baseman
Rocco Pepe (Commack, N.Y.) in the top of the first. The Knights closed out the inning with a 2-0 lead after freshman center fielder
Johnny Vaccaro (Roslyn Heights, N.Y.) stroked a double to bring in senior left fielder
David Hobbs (East Rockaway, N.Y.).
Both teams were quiet until the seventh inning, when the Vaccaro scored on a passed ball. Vaccaro knocked in another run in the eighth on a single, and then Pepe scored later in the inning on an error by the second baseman to cap off the scoring for the game.
Vaccaro had an excellent game for the Knights, going 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Pepe hit 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Seven different Wildcat batters hit singles in Wednesday's opener, but none were able to pick up two hits or an extra-base hit.
The Knights were originally scheduled to take on Grove City College in Wednesday's finale, but the game was changed early in the day. Instead, the Knights took on an undefeated Mary Washington team.
The Knights got off to a hot start once again in their second game of the day, taking an early 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI double by sophomore shortstop
Steve Notaro (Staten Island, N.Y.). They added two more in the second, as senior designated hitter
Andrew Conn (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) knocked in a run on a ground out. Junior first baseman
Matt Cahill (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) finished off the scoring with an RBI single, putting the Knights up, 3-0, through two innings.
Mary Washington quickly tied the game in the bottom of the third on a three-run blast by third baseman Jono Haught. All three runs were unearned after a pair of errors by the Knights earlier in the inning. The fourth inning spelled doom for the Knights, as the Eagles strung together five hits to bring in four runs and take a 7-3 lead.
Vaccaro continued his big day with an RBI double in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to three runs, but the Eagles were not done, and they brought in another two runs in their next at bat to take a 9-4 lead, which capped off the scoring for the game.
Eagle reliever David Slupek (1-0) picked up the win after tossing two innings in relief early in the game and allowing one run. He was in the game as the Eagles' took the lead in the fourth, allowing him to grab the victory. Sophomore starter
Joey Pugliese (Highland, N.Y.) fell to 0-1 on the season after allowing seven runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings.
Haught went just 1-for-4, but did plenty of damage with his only hit, as he knocked in three runs with his third-inning home run. Catcher James Keller and designated hitter Tyler Hoeflich each went 2-for-3 with two runs scored apiece.
Cahill hit 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI out of the leadoff spot for the Knights. Notaro also went 2-for-3 and knocked in a run. Freshman catcher
Adrian Peralta (New York, N.Y.) batted 1-for-2 with a run scored.
Sunday's originally scheduled contest against The College at Brockport at Dutchess Stadium has been postponed. The Knights will next play on Tuesday, March 10, as they take on Rutgers University-Newark at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
