ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College baseball team (11-16, 6-8 Skyline) was swept in a Skyline Conference doubleheader against the College of Mount Saint Vincent (10-24, 7-7 Skyline) Saturday afternoon at Bard College's Honey Field, eliminating the Knights from contention for the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament. The Dolphins won game one, 6-2, then beat the Knights in the seven-inning finale, 7-1.
The Knights celebrated the careers of their five graduating seniors prior to Saturday's doubleheader. Seniors
Ryan Atkins (Wallkill, N.Y.),
David Hobbs (East Rockaway, N.Y.), Rocce Pepe (Commack, N.Y.),
Matt Schumacher (Commack, N.Y.) and
Andrew Conn (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) were all recognized prior to the first pitch of game one. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors and thank them for their commitment to the baseball program throughout their tenures.
Game 1: Mount Saint Vincent 6, Mount Saint Mary 2The Knights fell behind from the get-go in Saturday's opener, and were unable to battle back despite a pair of late rallies. Mount Saint Vincent brought home a pair in the top of the first, and improved its lead to three on catcher Steven Giustino's RBI single in the third. Center fielder Nicholas Pace added to the lead with an RBI double in the fourth, putting the Dolphins up, 4-0.
The Knights got on the board for the first time on Saturday when freshman center fielder
Johnny Vaccaro (Roslyn Heights, N.Y.) singled in Conn in the fifth inning. Conn later picked up an RBI of his own on a double in the bottom of the sixth. Neither rally was able to pick up much steam, and the Dolphins ended up adding two more runs in the eighth for the 6-2 final.
Pace hit 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run to lead the Dolphins in game one. Designated hitter Keith Brodesser hit 2-for-4 with an RBI as well.
Conn hit 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a double. Junior catcher
Kristopher Fragomeni (Beacon, N.Y.) batted 2-for-4, and Vaccaro went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Tyler Krolikowski improved to 4-1 for the Dolphins with the win, tossing seven innings and allowing just two runs. Knight starter
Chris Wolfe (Beacon, N.Y.) suffered the loss after yielding four runs (one earned) on seven hits across five frames.
Game 2: Mount Saint Vincent 7, Mount Saint Mary 1Game two started out much the same for the Knights, as the Dolphins got on the board early after Pace scored on a passed ball in the first. Brodesser brought in two more in the top of the third on a fielder's choice that scored Pace and second baseman Keith Schroeher after an error by the Knights. Pace knocked in a run himself in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly, putting the visitors up, 4-0.
The Knights got one back in the fourth when sophomore shortstop
Steve Notaro (Staten Island, N.Y.) touched home after a passed ball.
The Dolphins managed to add a single run in each of the final three innings in Saturday's finale, bringing the final score to 7-1.
Robert Negron got the win for the Dolphins in game two, going seven innings and allowing just one unearned run to improve to 4-2 on the year. Sophomore starter
Kevin Duffy (Wallingford, Conn.) was tagged with the loss after allowing four unearned runs in four innings of work.
Pace led the way for the Dolphins with a 2-for-3 effort that saw him score twice and knock in two more. Giustino and left fielder Craig Weber had matching stat lines, each going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
The Knights managed just two hits in game two. Notaro went 1-for-1 with a double and a run scored, while Fragomeni hit 1-for-3.
Though they will not participate in the 2015 Skyline Conference Baseball Championships, the Knights' season is not over yet. They will take on Southern Vermont College at Shuttlesworth Park in Amsterdam, N.Y. on Tuesday, April 28. The non-conference matchup is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
