OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Mar. 31, 2018) – Powered by a team-high five RBI on the day from junior Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill), the Mercy College baseball team dropped an 11-10 decision in ten innings to ECC foe NYIT before earning a 10-3 victory in game two on Saturday afternoon.

The Mavericks (11-14, 2-1 ECC) surpass their win total from all of last year, while the Bears (5-11-1, 2-5 ECC) have dropped six of their last eight games.

Game 1 (10 Innings): NYIT 11, Mercy 10

A high-scoring affair broke out in the opening game of the day with the teams combining for 21 runs and 28 hits. Mercy jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the first with five runs on five hits and an NYIT error. Murphy started the scoring off with an RBI single that scored junior Joseph Sadallah (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville). Junior Adonis Garcia (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) brought home the second run with a groundout to shortstop that scored sophomore John Mooradian (Marlboro, N.Y./Marlboro). Murphy scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to make it 3-0 and freshman Zak Kain (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley) and sophomore Scott Kelnhofer (New Hyde Park, N.Y./New Hyde Park) recorded RBI singles to conclude the scoring.

NYIT responded with three runs in the first inning, one in the second and two in the third to build a 6-5 lead after three innings. A run in the fifth inning gave the Bears a 7-5 advantage. Mercy regained the lead with five runs in the top of the seventh inning to build a 10-7 lead. Murphy hit a two-run double to right center to bring in the first two runs and Garcia hit a three-run inside-the-park home run to conclude the scoring.

The Bears ensued with three runs in the eighth inning to tie the game up at 10-10. Neither team would score in the ninth inning, sending the game to extra innings. NYIT would secure the win with a Ryan Kuskowski walk-off home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the tenth to give the Bears an 11-10 victory.

Garcia went 2-for-5 with a run and four RBI and Murphy went 2-for-6 with three RBI and two runs. Kain batted 3-for-6 with a run and an RBI and Kelnhofer went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Mooradian went 3-for-6 with a run and Sadallah went batted 1-for-5 with two runs. Freshman Jack Kelly (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) made the start on the mound and went 2.2 innings with six runs allowed to earn a no-decision. Senior Juan Perez (Bronx, N.Y./Iowa Lakes CC) pitched 1.1 innings with one earned run allowed to take the loss.

Kuskowski went 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored and Brandon Alberto pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win.

Game 2: Mercy 10, NYIT 3

The nightcap saw the Mavericks jump out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Murphy brought home Sadallah on an RBI groundout to second base.

It remained 1-0 until the top of the third when Kain smacked a three-run double to right center that scored Mooradian, Sadallah and junior Alonso Tenya (Lima, Peru/Westchester CC) to make it 4-0. Kain later scored on an NYIT error to bring the score to 5-0. Junior Nicolas Hagerty (New York, N.Y./Westchester CC) brought home another run on an RBI single to left center that scored Garcia to give the Mavericks a 6-0 lead. A wild pitch later in the inning led to junior Josue Perez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) scoring and increasing the Mercy advantage to 7-0.

NYIT plated a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-1, but the Mavericks responded with two more runs in the fifth inning to make it 9-1. Junior Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) singled home Garcia and Tenya brought home Perez on a groundout to second.

Mercy increased the lead to 10-1 in the sixth inning when Murphy hit another double that brought home Mooradian. The Bears added on a run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 10-2 but freshman Noah Krzyzak (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) ended the threat with a strikeout to keep the score at 10-2.

NYIT scored another run in the seventh inning but it was not enough as Mercy held on for the win.

Kain went 1-for-3 with three RBI and Murphy went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Ortiz Sanchez went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Hagerty went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Garcia went 2-for-4 with two runs and Krzyzak went 6.0 innings with two earned runs allowed to earn the win.

NYIT was led by Joseph Pesce who went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Alex Passarella allowed four earned runs in 4.0 innings to take the loss.

Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Monday, April 2nd when they host NYIT at 3 p.m.