Sadallah Homers as Baseball Hosts St. Thomas Aquinas
Box Score DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 8, 2017) – Despite a home run from sophomore Joseph Sadallah (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and RBI from senior Charles Fina (Kingston, N.Y./Ulster County CC) and junior Justin Kiesow (Frankfort, N.Y./Herkimer County CC), the Mercy College baseball team dropped a 4-3 decision to ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (7-16, 1-6 ECC) have dropped three games in a row, while the Spartans (18-10, 7-3 ECC) have won six games in a row.
Sadallah went 2-for-3 with his first collegiate home run and Fina went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Kiesow went 1-for-3 with an RBI and senior Nick Arcabascio (Brooklyn, N.Y./Quinnipiac University) went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Sophomore Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) and junior Ralph Pasols (Middletown, N.Y./Orange CC) also recorded hits for Mercy. Senior Matt Nalbone (Islip, N.Y./Islip) went the first eight innings with four runs allowed and seven strikeouts to take the loss.
The Spartans were led by Mark Shkrelja who went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Chad Sinko earned the win with 1 2/3 innings pitched in relief and George Navadel notched the save.
A pitcher's duel broke out earlier on as Nalbone and Spartans starter Frankie Moscatiello put up zeroes for the first six innings. St. Thomas Aquinas ended the scoreless streak in the top of the seventh as Shkrelja hit a two-run home run to left field that scored Nicholas Lucchese to put the Spartans ahead 2-0.
The lead did not last long as the Mavericks tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh as Fina recorded an RBI single and Kiesow notched a sacrifice fly to tie the game up at 2-2. The Spartans regained the lead in the top of the eighth as Shkrelja hammered a two-RBI single to center field that plated Lucchese and Joseph Pena to put St. Thomas Aquinas ahead 4-2.
Mercy would not go down quietly as Sadallah homered to left field to get the Mavericks within a run, 4-3, with one out. Pasols singled in the next at bat, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the threat for the Mavericks.
Freshman David Deberardinis (Fishkill, N.Y/John Jay) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to give Mercy another shot in the bottom of the ninth. After two outs, Kiesow singled to right field to get the tying run on base, but a groundout to first ended the game.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, April 12th when they play at Queens at 3 p.m.
