DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 23, 2021) – Powered by a team-high six hits and five RBI on the day from sophomore Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt), the Mercy College baseball team earned 11-3 and 8-7 victories over ECC foe College of Staten Island on Friday afternoon at Mercy Field.

The Mavericks (12-7, 8-3 ECC) have won four games in a row and continue their best start to the season since 1985. The 8-3 start in ECC play is the best in program history. The Dolphins (3-12, 3-10 ECC) have dropped two games in a row.

Game 1: Mercy 11, Staten Island 3

The score remained 0-0 until the bottom of the second when Mercy scored a run to take a 1-0 lead. Senior Cain Ruiz (Valley Stream, N.Y./Cornerstone University) was hit by a pitch and stole second before junior Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) singled to right field, bringing home Ruiz for the first run of the game.

Sophomore starter Anthony Burgio (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) held the Dolphins scoreless through five innings and Mercy added a run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-0 lead. Senior Francisco Paulino (Haina San Cristobal, Dominican Republic/Monroe College) reached on an error and advanced to third before sophomore Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) singled him home to make it 2-0.

Staten Island took their first lead of the game in the top of the sixth with three runs on three hits and a Mercy error to take a 3-2 lead.

The Mavericks answered right back in the bottom of the inning with two runs to take a 4-3 lead. Graduate student Anthony Murphy (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) walked and then scored on a Charles Lebron (Brooklyn, N.Y./Franklin Pierce University) double to tie the game at 3-3. Paulino then doubled home Lebron to put Mercy ahead, 4-3.

Burgio retired the Dolphins in order in the seventh and eighth innings to keep Mercy in the lead. The Mavericks would explode for seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to take an 11-3 lead. Graduate student Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College) led off the inning with a single and advanced to second after a Paulino walk. Glennerster then hit a double to left center, which allowed Paulino and Ortiz Sanchez to score, making it 6-3. Senior Paul Cozzolino (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) plated the third run of the inning with a bases-loaded walk. Giblin then delivered a two-run single to center field, giving Mercy a 9-3 lead. Ortiz Sanchez brought in the final two runs of the frame with a double to right center.

Freshman Max Rank (Westwood, N.J./Westwood JR/SR) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give Mercy the 11-3 win.

Giblin went 4-for-6 with two RBI and Glennerster went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Ortiz Sanchez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Saltzman went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Paulino went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Lebron went 1-for-6 with an RBI. Burgio pitched eight inning with two earned runs allowed and seven strikeouts to earn his fifth win.

Staten Island was led by Louie Mandile who went 1-for-3 with a home run. Nick Metzger pitched 5.1 innings with three earned runs allowed to take the loss.

Game 2: Mercy 8, Staten Island 7

Staten Island took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a leadoff home run. Mercy answered in the bottom of the first with a run when Giblin led off the inning with an inside-the-park home run for his first collegiate home run.

Mercy took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when Ortiz Sanchez singled and later scored on a Murphy single to right field.

The Mavericks increased their lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning. After back-to-back errors by the Dolphins, Saltzman singled home junior James Mattutat (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) to make it 3-1. Giblin stayed hot and doubled to left center, allowing two more runs to score.

The Dolphins scored six runs on five hits in the fifth inning to take a 7-5 lead. However, the lead did not last long as Mercy scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back at 8-7. Mattutat recorded a two-run single to tie the game and Rank plated the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly.

Seniors JJ Lantigua (Hewlett, N.Y./LIU Post) and Erick Miranda (Queens, N.Y./ASA College) combined to toss 2.1 scoreless innings to close out the win for Mercy.

Giblin went 2-for-3 with three RBI and Mattutat went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Saltzman went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Murphy went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Ortiz Sanchez went 2-for-4 and sophomore Kevin Seckler (Beacon, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) pitched the first 4.2 innings with seven runs allowed to take a no-decision. Lantigua pitched 1.1 innings with no runs allowed to earn the win. Miranda tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the save.

Staten Island was led by Thomas Marten who went 1-for-2 with a home run. Sal Trancucci pitched four innings with five earned runs allowed to take the loss.

Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Staten Island at 12 p.m.