Mercy Baseball Takes Two Games from St. Thomas Aquinas
Mercy Baseball Takes Two Games from St. Thomas Aquinas,
Can Clinch Postseason Appearance with Win on Sunday
Linescore Game 1
Linescore Game 2
The Mercy College baseball team took a giant step closer to
postseason play on Saturday, May 1, winning a pair of must-win
games from East Coast Conference opponent St. Thomas Aquinas
College, 7-4 and 12-5. ECC foe Bridgeport defeated Queens
College today, 3-0, to give the Mavericks control over their own
playoff chances. Because Mercy holds the tiebreaker with
Dowling College, Mercy just needs a win on Sunday, May 2, to clinch
their first postseason appearance since 1990, when they played in
the NYCAC.
In action today, game one ended up going into extra innings, but
the Mavericks would prevail 7-4. Senior Kenny
Tyson (Miami, Fla./Ulster C.C.) took the start and
pitched a complete game. Mercy got on the board in the first
after Michael Ferrante (Long Beach, N.Y./Long
Beach) walked and scored on a two-base error. STAC promptly
tied the game in the bottom of the first and took a 2-1 lead on a
solo home run in the second.
The Mavericks scored three times in the third inning to take a
4-2 advantage. Ferrante doubled to lead off the frame.
Justin Muscarella (Plainedge,
N.Y./Island Trees) was hit by a pitch, and Ferrante later scored on
a double from Matt Walsh (Staten Island, N.Y./St.
Peter's Boys). Graig Lauricella (North Massapequa,
N.Y./Plainedge) plated Muscarella and Walsh with a timely single.
The Spartans tied the game in the sixth, and it remained that
way until the ninth. Mike Gianzero (Highland Mills,
N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) drove in Ken
Mundy (Valley Stream, N.Y./Valley Stream North), who
had singled earlier in the frame. Ferrante and Walsh drove in
the other runs lift Mercy to the 7-4 win.
In an equally important game two, Keith
Kreig (City Island, N.Y./Mt. Saint Michael Academy)
took the start. He lasted into the fifth-inning where he gave
way to the eventual winning pitcher, Walter Kowalczyk (Valhalla,
N.Y./Briarcliff).
The Spartans scored four runs early to take a huge lead.
The Mavericks once again demonstrated their
come-from-behind-ability as they scored five times in the third to
take a 5-4 lead. After the first two batters were out, Walsh
walked and advanced to second on a Lauricella base hit. He
came in to score on a single from Julio Torres (Harlingen,
Texas/Harlingen South). Mundy followed Torres and singled to
load the bases for freshman Andrew
Bock (Malverne, N.Y./Valley Stream North). Bock
walked to force in Lauricella. Marc
Dern (Valley Stream, N.Y./Valley Stream North) also
walked to force in a run. Next, Gianzero and Ferrante both
drove in runs with base hits to complete the scoring in the third.
In the fourth, a Mundy triple and a Bock single accounted for
two more runs. Mercy made it 9-4 in the fifth as a Lauricella
double scored Gianzero and Muscarella. The Spartans scored in
the fifth to make the score 9-5, but the Mavericks scored three
more times in the seventh on singles from Torres and Mundy and a
sacrifice fly from Bock.
Sunday figures to be a special day in Dobbs Ferry. In
addition to honoring the senior members of the Mercy nine, the
Mavericks need only to win to see their postseason dreams come to
fruition. The pre-game festivities get underway at 12:30 p.m.
and the game begins at 1:00 p.m.
