Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team opened the 2021 season with a Skyline Conference doubleheader split with the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Saturday, topping the Dolphins 10-3 in game one before falling in game two by a 6-4 count.
Steven Mirra (Wallingford, Conn.) had a strong day at the plate for the Knights, totaling five hits on the day.
Game 1
After falling behind 3-0 in the opener in the first inning, Mount Saint Mary responded with three runs in the second, single runs in the third and fourth innings and then a big five-run fifth. Mount Saint Mary got the game even in the second on the strength of a two-run double from
Michael DiGiovanni (Shirley, N.Y.) and a run scoring single off the bat of
Jack Goodwin (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.).
The Mount pulled in front for good in the game when
Dominick Marzigliano (Highland Mills, N.Y.) scored on a wild pitch and extended its lead to 5-3 in the fourth frame when Mirra singled to centerfield, chasing home DiGiovanni.
The Knights put the game away in the fifth, taking advantage of five hits and an error. After
Devin Tait (Staten Island, N.Y.) and
Liam Merlin (Reading, Mass.) singled and doubled to start the frame,
Robert Brust (Shirley, N.Y.) chased them home with a double to right center field. DiGiovanni added a run scoring infield single to push the Mount in front 8-3 before Marzigliano drove home Goodwin and DiGiovanni with a two-out single through the middle.
Mirra, Merlin and DiGiovanni each finished game one with two hits with DiGiovanni adding three runs scored and a trio of RBI. Brust scored twice for the Knights with Marzigliano adding a run scored and his two RBI to the winning effort.
Senior right hander
Anthony Pacifico (Newburgh, N.Y.) overcame three unearned runs in the first frame to spin a complete game that featured three strikeouts. He allowed seven hits and three walks without surrendering an earned run.
Game 2
Mount Saint Vincent got off to another strong start in game two, plating two runs in its first at-bat of the game. The Knights answered with a run scoring single off the bat of Merlin to get back to within a run after their first turn at the plate.
After the busy first inning, neither team would plate a run until the seventh when the two sides traded runs in each of their final three at-bats. Mount Saint Vincent pulled in front 3-1 in the top of the seventh when Matt DiNorcia delivered a run with a single, before the Mount got back to within a run in the home half of the inning when Marzigliano delivered Goodwin with a single up the middle.
In the eighth, Anthony Nocero drove in a run with a single before the Mount answered again with a Brust single through the left side that delivered Merlin and cut the deficit to 4-3.
Mount Saint Vincent got back to work in the ninth and plated two runs, including the eventual deciding tallies. DiNorcia plated another run with a single for the Dolphins with Ross Bartziokas delivering an insurance tally with a single to right that drove home DiNorcia.
Trailing by three runs in the home half of the ninth inning, Mirrra led off the frame with his third hit of the contest and scored on a Tait double to slice the deficit to 6-4 with one out in the inning. The Knights, however, would not be able to put the tying run on the base paths, stranding Tait at third base in the inning.
Mirra finished the second contest 3-for-5 with a run scored and was the only Knight with more than one hit in the game. Marzigliano, Merlin and Goodwin all finished game two with a hit and a run scored for the Knights with Marzigliano and Merlin driving in runs.
Matthew Borriello (Montgomery, N.Y.) had a strong performance in his first start of the season, allowing three runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings of work. Aidan Rice earned the win with 7.0 strong inning for the Dolphins, allowing two runs on six hits while fanning six.
At 1-1 overall on the season, Mount Saint Mary will finish its series with the Dolphins on Monday at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, N.Y. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.
