WILSON, N.C. (Feb. 17, 2019) – Powered by a team-high three RBI in game two from junior John Mooradian (Marlboro, N.Y./Marlboro), the Mercy College baseball team dropped an, 8-6, decision in game one before earning a, 9-8, victory in game two over Barton College on Sunday afternoon at Nixon Field.

The Mavericks (1-3) pick up their first win of the season, while the Bulldogs (8-5) earn the series win.

Game 1: Barton 8, Mercy 6

Mercy got on the board first in game one as senior Adonis Garcia (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) singled home senior Joseph Sadallah (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), who led off the inning with a walk, to make it 1-0. Barton answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to tie the score up at 1-1.

After a scoreless second inning, Sadallah led off the third inning with a home run to give Mercy a 2-1 lead. The Bulldogs came back in the bottom of the third with seven runs on three hits and an error to take an 8-2 lead.

Mercy inched closer with a run in the fifth as senior Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) homered down the right field line to bring the score to 8-3. The Mavericks plated three more runs in the seventh inning as sophomore Nicholas Pellegrino (Garden City Park, N.Y./Concordia College) hit a three-run double down the right field line that brought home senior Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College), freshman Ethan McMenamy (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) and Garcia to make it 8-6. However, a strikeout looking in the next plate appearance ended the threat and the game.

Sadallah went 1-for-1 with two runs and an RBI and Pellegrino went 2-for-2 with three RBI. Garcia batted 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored and Murphy went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Sophomore Jack Kelly (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) pitched the first 2.1 innings with two earned runs allowed to take the loss. Junior Matteo Finocchi (Staatsburg, N.Y./FDR) pitched 3.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts in relief.

Shawn Harrison led Barton by going 1-for-3 with two RBI and Dylan Ward pitched 3.0 innings of relief to earn the win.

Game 2: Mercy 9, Barton 8

Mercy struck first again in game two with two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Ortiz Sanchez started the scoring with an RBI single to left center that scored Mooradian, who reached on an error earlier in the inning. Sophomore Zak Kain (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley) later made it 2-0 when he singled down the left field line to score Garcia. Barton quickly tied the game up with two runs in the bottom of the inning making it 2-2 after one inning.

The Mavericks went back to work in the top of the second with two more runs to build a 4-2 lead. Mooradian singled home the first run to make it 3-2 before Murphy drove home the second run to give Mercy a two-run lead. After a scoreless bottom of the inning tossed by senior Fernando Figueroa (Bayamon, P.R./Monroe College), the Mavericks tacked on four more runs in the third inning to increase the lead to 8-2. Sadallah recorded an RBI single up the middle that scored McMenamy to start the rally. Mooradian followed with a two-run triple to right field that made it 7-2 and Murphy brought in the final run of the inning on a single to second base.

Mercy later made it 9-2 when Ortiz Sanchez delivered an RBI single that scored Mooradian to give the Mavericks an extra insurance run. Barton made it 9-5 after recording three runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-8, but senior Alonso Tenya (Lima, Peru/Westchester CC) induced a groundout for the final out to give Mercy the win.

Mooradian went 3-for-5 with three runs, three RBI and recorded his 100th career hit. Murphy went 2-for-4 with two RBI and recorded his 100th career hit. Ortiz Sanchez batted 2-for-5 with two RBI and Sadallah went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Kain went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Garcia went 3-for-5 with a run. McMenamy went 2-for-5 with a run and junior Rafael Perez (Yonkers, N.Y./Corning CC) went 1-for-4 with a run. Figueroa went the first four inning with two runs allowed to pick up the win. Sophomore Manuel Sanchez (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Tenya pitched 1.0 inning to pick up the save.

Barton was led by Colby Warren who went 2-for-3 with four RBI and allowed four earned runs in 2.2 innings to take the loss.

Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Thursday, February 21st when they play Stonehill in Myrtle Beach at 6 p.m.