DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 16, 2021) – Powered by a game-high four RBI in game one from junior Charles Lebron (Brooklyn, N.Y./Franklin Pierce University), the Mercy College baseball team earned a 6-2 win over ECC foe Queens College before falling 7-5 in game two on Friday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (8-7, 5-3 ECC) snap a three-game losing streak with the game one win, while the Knights (7-6, 5-5 ECC) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in game one.
Game 1: Mercy 6, Queens 2
Queens took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly. Mercy answered with two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) singled to lead off the inning and graduate student Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) followed with a single. Graduate student Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) then walked to load the bases before Lebron hit a two-run single to left field that scored Ortiz Sanchez and Giblin, giving the Mavericks a 2-1 lead.
The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the third when Mercy plated another run to take a 3-1 lead. Murphy singled before Lebron reached on a fielder's choice with Murphy being forced out at second. Senior Francisco Paulino (Haina San Cristobal, Dominican Republic/Monroe College) then tripled to center field allowing Lebron to score.
Queens got a run back in the top of the fifth to make it 3-2. It stayed 3-2 until the bottom of the seventh when Mercy scored three runs to take a 6-2 lead. Junior Nikko Liguori (Branford, Conn./Franklin Pierce University) singled and Giblin followed with a single to put runners at first and second. Murphy later delivered a ground-rule double that scored Liguori to make it 4-2. Lebron then recorded a two-run single to right field that scored Murphy and Giblin to make it 6-2.
Freshman Max Rank (Westwood, N.J./Westwood JR/SR) held the Knights off the scoreboard in the final two innings to give Mercy the win.
Lebron went 2-for-4 with four RBI a run and Giblin went 2-for-4 with two runs. Murphy went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Paulino went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Liguori went 2-for-4 with a run and Ortiz Sanchez went 1-for-4 with a run. Junior James Dieguez (Westbury, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) went 1-for-4 and sophomore Anthony Burgio (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) pitched seven innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season. Rank did not allow a hit in two innings.
Queens was led by Andrew Smith who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Johnny Dougherty pitched 4.1 innings with three runs allowed to take the loss.
Game 2: Queens 7, Mercy 5
Queens jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first with two runs on two hits. Mercy answered with three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-2 lead. Giblin led off the inning with a single and later scored on an error to make it 2-1. Senior Paul Cozzolino (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) then hit an inside-the-park home run to center field with Lebron scoring from second to give the Mavericks a 3-2 lead.
The Knights took the lead back in the second inning with two runs on one hit to take a 4-3 lead. Mercy later retook the lead in the bottom of the third with two runs, taking a 5-4 lead. Cozzolino led off the inning with a hit by pitch and senior Brandon Maravi (Tappan, N.Y./Sullivan CC) followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Junior James Mattutat (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) then hit a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Cozzolino to score. Maravi later scored on a passed ball to make it 5-4 Mercy after three innings.
Queens recorded three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-5 lead. Neither team would score for the remainder of the seven-inning game, giving the Knights the game two win.
Cozzolino went 1-for-1 with his first career home run and two RBI. Mattutat went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Maravi went 1-for-2 with a run. Giblin went 1-for-4 with a run and Ortiz Sanchez went 1-for-2. Senior Robert Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Westchester CC) went 1-for-1 and seniors Kuzari Jocelyn (Brooklyn, N.Y./Abraham Lincoln) and Cain Ruiz (Valley Stream, N.Y./Cornerstone University) each went 1-for-3. Sophomore Ryan Dieguez (Westbury, N.Y./Chaminade) made the start on the mound and went 1.2 innings with four runs allowed to earn a no-decision. Senior Manuel Sanchez (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) pitched 1.2 innings with two earned runs allowed to take the loss. Senior Erick Miranda (Queens, N.Y./ASA College) pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and sophomore John Gillespie (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) and senior JJ Lantigua (Hewlett, N.Y./LIU Post) each pitched a scoreless inning.
Queens was led by Juan Vasquez who went 2-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. Dante Interlandi pitched two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. John Rodopoulos pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the save.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Queens for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
