DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 23, 2019) – Powered by a game-high four RBI from junior John Mooradian (Marlboro, N.Y./Marlboro), the Mercy College baseball team earned a 7-6 victory over ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Tuesday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (17-23-1, 9-11 ECC) take three out of four from the Spartans (16-22, 8-12 ECC) and earn their first series win over St. Thomas Aquinas since 2010.
Mooradian went 4-for-4 with four RBI and senior Joseph Sadallah (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) went 1-for-3 with two runs. Seniors Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) and Adonis Garcia (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) both went 1-for-3. Junior Luis Grullart (New York, N.Y./Delaware State University) pitched 6.1 innings with three runs allowed to take a no-decision. Junior Matteo Finocchi (Staatsburg, N.Y./FDR) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win and junior Andrew Hernandez (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. John's University) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save.
St. Thomas Aquinas was led by Andrew Jemison who went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Darnell Chandler allowed an earned run to take the loss.
The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on two hits. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when the Mavericks scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead. Garcia led off the inning with a single and moved to second after Grullart got hit by a pitch. After a groundout moved runners over to second and third, senior Nicolas Hagerty (New York, N.Y./Westchester CC) brought home Garcia on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-1. Grullart later scored on a wild pitch to give Mercy a 2-1 lead.
The Mavericks built a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning with a run on two hits. Sadallah singled to lead off the inning and stole second before Mooradian singled him home to make it 3-1.
The Spartans answered back in the top of the seventh with five runs on six hits to take a 6-3 lead. St. Thomas Aquinas looked to have regained the momentum but the Mavericks had other plans and responded with three runs of their own to tie the game up at 6-6 after seven innings. Hagerty, Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) and Sadallah reached base to load the bases with two outs. Mooradian then doubled to score all three to tie the game up at 6-6, but was thrown out at third to end the inning.
The Mavericks took the lead for good in the eighth inning with a run to take a 7-6 lead. Senior Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) walked and moved over to second following a sacrifice bunt. Garcia was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second before a groundout moved Murphy to third and Garcia to second. Murphy would then score on a wild pitch with freshman James Dieguez (Westbury, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) at the plate to put Mercy in the lead.
Hernandez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give the Mavericks the series win.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Friday, April 26th when they host Lincoln at 3 p.m.
