DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 27, 2020) – Powered by five shutout innings pitched from junior Jack Kelly (Scranton, Pa./Scranton), the Mercy College baseball team earned a 5-4 victory over Bloomfield College in their home opener on Thursday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (2-8) snap a seven-game losing streak and defeat the Bears (0-1) for the first time in program history.
Leading Mercy at the plate was senior John Mooradian (Marlboro, N.Y./Marlboro) who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored and sophomore Nikko Liguori (Branford, Conn./Franklin Pierce University) went 2-for-3 with two runs. Junior Brandon Maravi (Tappan, N.Y./Sullivan CC) went 1-for-4 with an RBI and graduate student Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) had two RBI. Graduate student Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) had an RBI and senior James Jakuba (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Central Connecticut State University) made the start on the mound and went 4.0 innings with four runs allowed to earn a no-decision. Kelly pitched 5.0 scoreless innings of relief and had five strikeouts to earn his second win of the year.
Bloomfield was led by Manuel Andujar who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and a home run. Alexis Guerra pitched an inning of relief with two runs allowed to take the loss.
The game remained 0-0 until the top of the second when Andujar hit a three-run home run to left field to make it 3-0. A Julius Puryear double to left center later in the inning made it 4-0.
Mercy answered in the bottom of the second with a run to make it 4-1. Ortiz Sanchez reached on an error and later scored on a Maravi RBI single to left field.
The Mavericks inched closer in the bottom of the third when they scored two runs to make it 4-3. Liguori singled to lead off the inning and Mooradian followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Murphy grounded out to first to allow Liguori to score and Ortiz Sanchez followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Mooradian for the final run of the inning.
The score remained 4-3 until the bottom of the seventh when Mercy scored two runs to take a 5-4 lead. Senior Rafael Perez (Yonkers, N.Y./Corning CC) started the rally with a hit by pitch and moved to second following a Liguori single. Mooradian then doubled down the left-field line to bring home Perez, tying the game at 4-4. Murphy then drove home Mooradian for the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly, making it 5-4 after seven innings.
Kelly pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings to give Mercy the win.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Sunday, March 8th when they host Staten Island for a doubleheader at 12 & 3 p.m.
