WILSON, N.C. (Feb. 15, 2020) – Powered by a team-high two RBI in game two from graduate student Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College), the Mercy College baseball team opened its 2020 season with a 4-0 loss to Barton College before earning an 8-6 victory over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Nixon Field.
The Mavericks (1-1) earn a split in their season-opening doubleheader, while the Bulldogs (4-5) fall below .500 on the year.
Game 1: Barton 4, Mercy 0 (7 Innings)
A pitcher's duel broke out early on as senior James Jakuba (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Central Connecticut State University) and Barton starter Gentry Fortuno combined to pitch four shutout innings to start the game. Freshman Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville DeWitt) led off the fifth inning with a single but was caught stealing after a strikeout. A strikeout ended the inning sending the teams to the bottom of the fifth scoreless.
Barton was able to break through for four runs on four hits and a Mercy error in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-0 lead.
The Mavericks threatened in the top of the seventh with Ortiz Sanchez and junior Francisco Paulino (Haina San Cristobal, Dominican Republic/Monroe College) singling to lead off the inning. However, three straight strikeouts ended the inning and game.
Ortiz Sanchez, Giblin and Paulino all went 1-for-3. Junior Kuzari Jocelyn (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) and graduate student Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) both went 1-for2. Jakuba pitched 5.0 innings with three earned runs allowed and seven strikeouts to take the loss. Freshman Kevin Seckler (Beacon, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) pitched a scoreless inning of relief in his debut.
Barton was led by Mike Mayer who went 1-for-1 with two RBI. Fortuno pitched a complete game with 12 strikeouts to earn the win.
Game 2: Mercy 8, Barton 6 (9 Innings)
After two scoreless innings, Mercy got on the board first in the top of the third when freshman Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) led off the inning with a double and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0.
Barton evened the score up at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth on three hits and a Mercy error.
Mercy retook the lead at 4-1 following a three-run fifth inning. Giblin led off the inning with a single and later got to third following a groundout and Jocelyn double. After a groundout to make two outs in the inning, sophomore Nikko Liguori (Branford, Conn./Franklin Pierce University) reached on an error by the first baseman, allowing Jocelyn and Giblin to score. Senior John Mooradian (Marlboro, N.Y./Marlboro) then singled up the middle to bring home Liguori for the final run of the inning.
The Bulldogs tied the score up at 4-4 with three runs on four hits and a Mercy error in the bottom of the fifth.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, Mercy took the lead again with four runs in the seventh inning. Sophomore Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) and Liguori singled in back-to-back at bats and Mooradian reached on an error to load the bases. Murphy then singled home Saltzman to make it 5-4. After a pitching change, Ortiz Sanchez recorded a two-run single to left field that plated Mooradian and Liguori to make it 7-4. Giblin finished off the scoring with a single to center field that scored Murphy to give Mercy an 8-4 advantage.
Barton inched closer in the seventh inning with a run to make it 8-5. After neither team scored in the eighth inning, Barton loaded the bases in the ninth inning and scored a run off a walk to make it 8-6. However, senior Andrew Hernandez (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. John's University) induced a groundout to third to end the game.
Ortiz Sanchez went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Giblin went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Liguori went 1-for-5 with two runs and Mooradian and Murphy both went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Saltzman went 2-for-4 and Glennerster and Jocelyn both recorded a hit. Junior Jack Kelly (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) pitched 6.1 innings with three earned runs allowed to pick up the win. Junior Osvaldo Encarnacion (El Paso, Texas/The College of New Rochelle) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief and Hernandez allowed a run in 1.1 innings to earn the save.
Barton was led by Brayden Olson who went 4-for-5 with two RBI. Alex Hart pitched 6.1 innings to take the loss.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Barton for a doubleheader at 11 a.m.
