NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College baseball team (8-8, 4-2 Skyline) split a Skyline Conference doubleheader at Farmingdale State College (8-11, 3-3 Skyline) Saturday afternoon. The Knights fell, 9-2, to the Rams in game one, but a seven-run seventh inning fueled them to an 8-7 win in Saturday's finale.
Game 1:The Knights fell behind early in game one after allowing four runs across the first two innings. Junior right fielder
Kristopher Fragomeni (Beacon, N.Y.) hit an RBI single in the top of the third to get the Knights on the board, but the Rams neutralized the run with one of their own in the fourth. The Knights got their second run when freshman first baseman
Blake Keenan (Fishkill, N.Y.) hit an RBI single to right in the fifth, but that was all the Knights would come away with in Saturday's opener. Farmingdale State added another four runs in its final four at bats for the seven-run victory.
Starter Ryan O'Connor picked up the win for the Rams in game one, yielding two runs on six hits across five innings. Mount Saint Mary starter
Chris Wolfe (Beacon, N.Y.) fell to 1-3 with the loss after allowing eight runs (five earned) on nine hits in six innings of work.
First baseman Dalton McCarthy had a big game for the Rams, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs and a triple. Third baseman Anthony McQuade hit 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Fragomeni hit 3-for-5 with an RBI in Saturday's game-one loss, while Keenan batted 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Junior left fielder
Matt Cahill (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) improved his hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-3 outing that saw him score a run, but he went hitless in game two to end his streak.
Game 2:In game two, the Knights trailed, 7-1, heading to the seventh and final inning. The Knights opened the final frame with back-to-back walks by Fragomeni and Keenan. Sophomore third baseman
Rob Peccerillo (Staten Island, N.Y.) then singled to right to load the bases without recording an out.
Senior designated hitter
Andrew Conn (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) got the Knights on the board with a single through the right side, bringing in Fragomeni. Senior center fielder
Ryan Atkins (Wallkill, N.Y.) followed with a single to center, bringing in Keenan to cut the deficit to four. Senior second baseman
David Hobbs (East Rockaway, N.Y.) then drew a walk to bring in the third run of the inning.
After the second pitching change of the inning, senior shortstop
Rocco Pepe (Commack, N.Y.) singled through the right side to bring in the fourth run and cut the deficit to just two runs, still without an out recorded in the inning. Freshman
Louis DeAngelis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) then pinch hit, coming through with a single to right to get the Knights within a run. Cahill then flied out to right for the first out of the inning.
The Knights tied the game when Fragomeni was hit by a pitch, plating Hobbs for the sixth run of the inning. Keenan then hit a slow grounder to second, ending in a fielder's choice after Fragomeni was forced out at second, but the leading run touched home to give the Knights an 8-7 lead. Peccerillo then fouled out to first to end the inning.
Junior closer
Sean Betterly (East Meadow, N.Y.) came on to pitch in the seventh for the improbable save opportunity. Betterly made quick work of the Rams, striking out the first batter, forcing the second to ground out to him, and closing out the win by fanning the final batter.
Sophomore reliever
Stephan Sookdeo (Carmel, N.Y.) picked up the win after facing one batter in the sixth and forcing an inning-ending double play to improve to 2-0 on the year. Betterly picked up his second save of the season with his dominant seventh inning. Brandon Ernest was tagged with the loss for Farmingdale State after being responsible for the winning run in the seventh.
Fragomeni had another big game, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Atkins had his best game of the season with a 3-for-4 effort that included two RBIs and a run. Conn did his job as the designated hitter with a 3-for-3 outing and an RBI. Pepe was also solid for the Knights, going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Right fielder Michael Marino hit 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run for the Rams in game two. McCarthy also hit 2-for-3, scoring one run and knocking in another. Shortstop Tom Rydzewski hit 1-for-1, but drew two walks and scored three times.
Now riding the momentum of the huge rally in game two, the Knights head into a Sunday doubleheader with Maritime College with significant Skyline Conference positioning on the line. Game one in Throggs Neck, N.Y. is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
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