Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team advanced in the 2018 Skyline Conference Championship on Wednesday, holding off Old Westbury 9-8. Blake Keenan (Fishkill, N.Y.) and Kevin Edgar (Southampton, N.Y.) recorded three hits apiece with Edgar driving in four runs.
 
Mount Saint Mary got the scoring started early on Wednesday, plating three runs in the first and another run in the bottom of the second. The Mount strung together four hits in its first at-bat of the game, including run scoring singles from Christopher Introcaso (Newburgh, N.Y.) and Keenan. Steven Mirra (Wallingford, Conn.) drove home the third run of the inning with a run scoring groundout.
 
The Knights spread their lead to 4-0 in the second following an Anthony Rizzo (Smithtown, N.Y.) single and a two out walk and hit batter. Rizzo scored the only run of the inning with two outs when he scampered home on a wild pitch.
 
Trailing by four runs, the visitors got even in the third with five hits and a Mount Saint Mary miscue. Jesse Russo drove in two runs for Old Westbury with a single in the inning before John Fogarty shot a one out single to right center to deliver Russo with the tying run.
 
Mount Saint Mary answered right back with three runs in the fourth and did not let Old Westbury get closer than one run the rest of the way. John Santana (Warwick, N.Y.) started the rally with a walk and after Introcaso singled and Keenan was hit with a pitch, Edgar drove a double to left center field to clear the bases and put the Knights in front 7-4.
 
The two teams traded runs in the fifth and sixth innings before Old Westbury plated two runs in the eighth to pull to within 8-7. Keenan doubled with one out in the bottom of the inning and later scored on a passed ball to score the deciding run in the game.
 
Old Westbury plated a run in the ninth and had the bases loaded with two outs before Nick Zestanakis (Bayside, N.Y.) recorded the final out to record his second save of the season.
 
A trio of Knights finished with multiple hits in the game, led by a 3-for-3 effort from Keenan who doubled and tripled. He was hit with two pitches, drove in a run and scored three times. Edgar finished up 3-for-5 with four RBI. Introcaso rounded out the win 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
 
Rizzo and Santana each scored two runs and finished with a hit with Nick Rizzo (Smithtown, N.Y.) ripping a double.
 
Ryan Hayes (Robbinsville, N.J.) made the start and fanned two in 3.0 innings of work, with Christian Spano (Mahopac, N.Y.) earning the win with 4.0 innings of relief work. He surrendered just one earned run and struck out three. Zestanakis faced just one batter and recorded his second save.
 
Wednesday's win pushes Mount Saint Mary to 22-10-1 on the season. The Knights advance to play second seeded St. Joseph's-L.I. on Friday at 3:00 p.m. at Farmingdale State.