Fina's Game-Winning RBI Double Leads Baseball to Season Series Split With Pace
Box Score PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 10, 2016) – Powered by a game-winning RBI double from junior Charles Fina (Kingston, N.Y./Ulster County CC) in the bottom of the tenth, the Mercy College baseball team earned an, 11-10, victory in ten innings over Pace University in the conclusion of Tuesday's matchup. The Setters emerged with an 8-5 victory in the originally scheduled game afterwards on Thursday afternoon at Finnerty Field.
The Mavericks (4-6) have now won three of their last five games and split the season series with the Setters (4-5).
Game 1: Mercy 11, Pace 10 (Conclusion of game from Tuesday)
The two teams met on Tuesday in Dobbs Ferry with the game being suspended in the top of the 10th due to darkness. The action picked up on Thursday in Pleasantville with the Setters at bat with a runner on first and two outs.
In a contest that featured 30 hits and 21 runs at two different fields, Pace jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in Dobbs Ferry following three runs in the second and fourth innings.
Sophomore Nick Daley (Glenwood Landing, N.Y./North Shore) got the rally started in the fifth with a double before sophomore Nick Arcabascio (Brooklyn, N.Y./Quinnipiac University) walked to put runners on first and second. Following a strikeout to put two outs on the board, senior Scott Hagan (Mamaroneck, N.Y./SUNY Binghamton) got the scoring started with a two-RBI triple to right field to make it 6-2. Senior Justin Palladino (Yonkers, N.Y./Westchester CC) ensued with an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 6-3. Fina came up two batters later and delivered a two-RBI double to center field to bring the score to 6-5. Fina later scored on an error to even things up at 6-6 as the Mavericks finished with six runs on five hits in the inning.
After junior starter Kenny Costa (Byram, N.J./Sussex County CC) escaped trouble in the sixth, Mercy took their first lead of the game as Hagan singled home sophomore Bryan Torres (Bronx, N.Y./All Hallows) to make it 7-6. The Setters answered with a run in the seventh to tie the game up again at 7-7. The Mavericks bats stayed alive in the seventh as Daley tripled home a run and Torres followed suit with a two-RBI triple to give Mercy a 10-7 lead after seven innings.
The Mavericks looked to have the game in hand but the visitors answered with two runs in the eighth and a run in the ninth to tie the game up at 10-10, forcing extra innings. Junior Marc Medico (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester) retired the first two batters of the tenth before a Pace walk got things to Nick LoBello. LoBello drew a 2-1 count before the game was suspended due to darkness. The action was picked up in Pleasantville with graduate student Matt Snyder (Albany, N.Y./University of Kentucky) on the mound. LoBello ended up walking to put runners on first and second, but Snyder struck out Cory Capaldi to end the threat. Sophomore John Young (New Hyde Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) led off the Mavericks half of the tenth with a walk and stole second before junior Randal Mendez (New York, N.Y./Coppin State University) was hit by pitch. Fina then delivered his biggest hit as a Maverick, a double to left center, that scored Young to end the game.
Fina ended the game 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI, while Hagan batted 2-for-5 with three RBI. Costa pitched the first seven innings with five strikeouts to earn the no-decision.
Game 2: Pace 8, Mercy 5
Today's scheduled game saw Torres lead off the game with a home run to left to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead after their first at bat. Pace answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning on an error to make it 1-1.
Mercy retook the lead in the third on a Palladino double down the left field line that scored Torres. Hagan was gunned down at home trying to score from first on the play, but the Mavericks held a 2-1 lead.
The Setters took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth as John Kukura hit a grand slam to give Pace a 5-2 lead. The Setters tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the sixth to make it 7-2.
The Mavericks continued to fight and plated a run in the seventh as freshman Nicholas Chilson (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) doubled home junior James Waters (Troy, N.Y./Fulton Montgomery CC) who started off the inning with a double. Kukura answered with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning to make it 8-3 after seven innings.
Mercy made a rally in the ninth as Young led off the inning with a single before Waters walked to set up a first and second situation with no outs. Following a flyout, Chilson walked to load the bases with one out. After a Pace pitching change, the Mavericks plated a run on a senior Giovanni Lasalandra (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) fielder's choice to make it 8-4 with two outs. Daley followed by reaching first on an error, scoring Waters to make it 8-5, but Lasalandra was thrown out at third to end the threat and game.
Torres went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Mendez went 1-for-2 with a triple. Senior Blake Coalla (Wappingers Fall, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) made the start on the mound and went the first five innings with five strikeouts.
Head Coach Jason Lamando and the Mavericks resume action on Saturday, March 12th with a doubleheader at Merrimack beginning at 12 p.m.
