Waters Homers and Hagan Drives in Two Runs as Baseball Hosts Bridgeport
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 2, 2016) – Despite a home run and two RBI from junior James Waters (Troy, N.Y./Fulton Montgomery CC) and two RBI from senior Scott Hagan (Mamaroneck, N.Y./SUNY Binghamton) , the Mercy College baseball team dropped 7-3 and 4-3 decisions to the University of Bridgeport in an ECC doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (9-15, 2-6 ECC) have now dropped three in a row, while the Purple Knights (12-8-1, 6-2 ECC) earn the series win with the sweep.
Game 1: Bridgeport 7, Mercy 3
Mercy wasted little time in getting on the board in the opener as the Mavericks scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Nick Arcabascio (Brooklyn, N.Y./Quinnipiac University) started the rally with a double down the left field line. Hagan then drove in Arcabascio with a single to left field to make it 1-0. Hagan later scored on a wild pitch to cap off the scoring in the inning.
Senior James Patterson (Cornwall, N.Y./Cornwall) made the start on the mound and tossed two scoreless innings in a row to start the contest, but the Purple Knights would scratch across a run in the third following two hits and an RBI groundout by Daren Grabowski to trim the Mavericks lead to 2-1.
Mercy went down in order the next three innings, leading to Casey McCone hitting an inside-the-park home run to center field that scored Jose Negron in the sixth to give Bridgeport a 3-2 lead. The Mavericks battled back in the bottom half of the inning as Arcabascio led off the inning with a triple and later scored on a Randal Mendez (New York, N.Y./Coppin State University) RBI single to tie the game up at 3-3.
Bridgeport took back the lead for good in the seventh as Grabowski hit an RBI triple to left center to put the Purple Knights up 4-3. Negron followed with an RBI single to score Grabowski, giving the guests a 5-3 lead. Bridgeport added on two insurance runs in the eighth to take a 7-3 lead and the Purple Knights held on for the game one victory.
Arcabascio went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Mendez went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Patterson pitched the first seven innings with five earned runs allowed to take the loss.
McCone and Grabowski both led Bridgeport with two RBI, while Rob Anderson pitched the first eight innings with 12 strikeouts to earn the victory.
Game 2: Bridgeport 4, Mercy 3
The second game of the day would see the Purple Knights serve as the home team and they would strike first in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs on three hits and two Mercy errors to take a 2-0 lead after two innings.
Waters would even things up with one swing of the bat as he homered to left field in the top of the fifth to score senior Giovanni Lasalandra (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley), who had led off the inning with a triple. After a groundout, Arcabascio tripled again and was brought home by Hagan in the next at bat to put the Mavericks up 3-2.
Mercy held a 3-2 lead heading into the final inning of a scheduled seven-inning game. However, following a bases loaded walk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh the two teams headed into extra innings tied at 3-3.
The two teams went scoreless in the eighth, leading to a ninth inning where the Mavericks went down in order in the top half of the frame. The Purple Knights would steal the win in the bottom of the ninth as Alnaydo Rodriguez singled up the middle, scoring Grabowski from third to give Bridgeport the 4-3 victory.
Waters went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the nightcap, while Lasalandra went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Junior Kenny Costa (Byram, N.J./Sussex County CC) pitched the first 6 1/3 innings with two earned runs allowed to pick up the no-decision. Senior Blake Coalla (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the loss.
Rodriguez led the Purple Knights with a 2-for-4 game two with two RBI. Adam Thayer pitched the final 2 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Head Coach Jason Lamando and the Mavericks resume action on Thursday, April 7th at Bloomfield at 3 p.m.
