STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (Apr. 24, 2021) – Powered by a team-high three RBI on the day from graduate student Miguel Ortiz Sanchez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe College), the Mercy College baseball team earned 11-4 and 5-4 victories over ECC foe College of Staten Island on Saturday afternoon.
The Mavericks (14-7, 10-3 ECC) have won six games in a row and continue their best start since 1985. The 10-3 start in ECC play is the best in program history and Mercy sweeps the season series with the Dolphins (3-14, 3-12 ECC).
Game 1: Mercy 11, Staten Island 4
After a scoreless first inning, Mercy plated a run in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Junior Charles Lebron (Brooklyn, N.Y./Franklin Pierce University) walked and would later score on a Cain Ruiz (Valley Stream, N.Y./Cornerstone University) single. Staten Island tied the game up at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning with a run on two hits.
Mercy took the lead back in the third inning. Sophomore Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) singled and scored on an Ortiz Sanchez RBI single to make it 2-1.
It remained 2-1 until the fifth inning when Mercy scored five runs to take a 7-1 lead. Junior Nikko Liguori (Branford, Conn./Franklin Pierce University) reached on an error and later scored on an Ortiz Sanchez double to make it 3-1. Lebron brought home Ortiz Sanchez on a single to make it 4-1. Senior Paul Cozzolino (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) then doubled to plate Lebron before sophomore Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) singled home Cozzolino to make it 6-1. Junior Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage) brought home the final run of the inning on a single to left center.
Mercy added on three more runs in the sixth to take a 10-1 lead. Ortiz Sanchez doubled home the first run to make it 8-1 and Ortiz Sanchez and Giblin later scored on a passed ball to make it 10-1.
The Dolphins got a run in the sixth to make it 10-2.
Mercy increased their lead to 11-2 in the eighth when Giblin singled to lead off the inning and scored on a Lebron bases-loaded walk.
The Dolphins plated two runs in the ninth but it was not enough and the Mavericks came away with the win.
Ortiz Sanchez went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs and Lebron went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Glennerster went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Cozzolino went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Ruiz went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Saltzman went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Giblin went 2-for-5 with three runs and freshman Ryan Rozinski (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) pitched seven innings with two runs allowed and nine strikeouts to earn his third win of the year. Sophomore John Gillespie (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
CSI was led by Shendi Ulah who went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Frank Gulko pitched five innings to take the loss.
Game 2: Mercy 5, Staten Island 4
Mercy took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when Glennerster reached on an error and later scored when Saltzman reached on an error to make it 1-0. Liguori then doubled home Saltzman to make it 2-0.
The Mavericks added two more runs in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Glennerster singled to lead off the inning and scored on a Saltzman sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Giblin plated the second run with an RBI single through the left side.
The Dolphins scored two runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 4-2.
The score remained 4-2 until the seventh inning when Mercy scored a run on a wild pitch to make it 5-2. CSI scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh and had runners on second and third, but freshman Max Rank (Westwood, N.J./Westwood JR/SR) got a strikeout to end the game.
Giblin went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Liguori went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Glennerster went 2-for-3 with two runs and Ortiz Sanchez went 1-for-4. Junior James Mattutat (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) went 1-for-1 and junior Austin DeRosa (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) pitched five innings with one earned run allowed and five strikeouts to earn his third win of the year. Rank got the final out in the seventh to earn the save.
CSI was led by Shendi Ulah who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Kevin Ryan pitched seven innings to take the loss.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, April 28th when they play at STAC at 3:30 p.m.
