DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Mar. 22, 2019) – Powered by two RBI from senior Adonis Garcia (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) and junior John Mooradian (Marlboro, N.Y./Marlboro), the Mercy College baseball team opened up ECC play with a 5-3 victory over Queens College on Friday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (9-10, 1-0 ECC) have won seven of their last eight games, while the Knights (9-7-1, 0-1 ECC) see their five-game winning streak come to an end.
Mooradian went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Garcia went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Senior Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) went 2-for-5 with two runs and seniors Joseph Sadallah (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) and freshman Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) went 1-for-4. Senior Kevin Tise (New York, N.Y./University of Hartford) pitched seven innings with two earned runs allowed to pick up his third win of the year. Junior Andrew Hernandez (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. John's University) pitched the final two innings to pick up his fifth save of the year.
Queens was led by Joe O'Rourke who went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Dylan Hughes pitched three innings with three earned runs allowed to take the loss.
The Knights got on the board first in the top of the first on a hit and a Mercy error to take a 1-0 lead. The Mavericks came back in the bottom of the first with two runs on four hits to take a 2-1 lead. Sadallah led off the inning with a single, stole second and advanced to third on an error by the pitcher. Mooradian then singled to bring home Sadallah and tie the game up at 1-1. Murphy later tripled in the inning and was brought home by a Garcia RBI single to left field which made it 2-1.
After a scoreless inning tossed by Tise, Mercy added onto their lead in the bottom of the second with a run to build a 3-1 lead. Saltzman singled and advanced to second on an error by the third baseman. The freshman moved over to third on a groundout and was driven in by Mooradian to give Mercy a 3-1 lead.
Queens answered with a run in the top of the third to make it 3-2. However, the Mavericks responded right back with a run in the bottom of the third to increase the lead to 4-2. Murphy, Garcia and senior Nicolas Hagerty (New York, N.Y./Westchester CC) singled to load the bases. Freshman Ethan McMenamy (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) plated Murphy after drawing a bases-loaded walk.
It remained 4-2 until the top of the seventh when Queens scratched across a run on two hits to make it 4-3. Mercy battled back and increased the lead back to two with a run in the bottom of the inning. Ortiz Sanchez doubled to lead off the inning and was brought home in the next at bat by a Garcia single to left field. Mercy later had runners on second and third but a groundout ended the inning.
Hernandez came in and pitched the final two innings and did not allow a hit, giving Mercy the win in their conference opener.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Queens at 12 & 3 p.m.
