MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Feb. 26, 2022) – Despite an RBI from junior Ryan Gonzalez (Howell, N.J./Neumann University), the Mercy College baseball team dropped 6-1 and 17-2 decisions to No. 9/11 Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday afternoon in Myrtle Beach.
The Mavericks (2-5) have dropped three games in a row, while the Penmen (3-1) have won three straight games.
Game 1: Southern N.H. 6, Mercy 1
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when Southern N.H. scored two runs on a triple by Cristian Mercedes to take a 2-0 lead. Sam Henrie followed with a home run to give the Penmen a 3-0 lead after five innings.
Southern N.H. added on two more runs in the sixth inning to build a 5-0 lead. The Penmen scored their final run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning to take a 6-0 lead.
Mercy broke the shutout in the eighth inning with one to make it 6-1. Freshman Connor Ruland (Islip, N.Y./Islip) led off the inning with a single and later scored on a wild pitch to get Mercy on the scoreboard.
The Mavericks went down in order in the ninth, giving the Penmen the win.
Ruland went 3-for-3 with a run and senior James Mattutat (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) went 1-for-3. Freshman Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) and Gonzalez went 1-for-4. Senior Jonathan Diforio (Harrison, N.Y./University of Delaware) pitched five innings with three runs allowed to take the loss.
Southern N.H. was led by Mercedes who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Brandon White pitched 8.1 innings with one run allowed to earn the win.
Mercy had six hits and zero errors and Southern N.H. had eight hits and one error.
Game 2: Southern N.H. 17, Mercy 2
The Penmen scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second inning to take a 6-0 lead after two innings.
It remained 6-0 until the top of the fourth when Southern N.H. scored five runs on five hits to take an 11-0 lead.
Mercy scored two runs in the fourth inning to make it 11-2. Back-to-back walks from graduate student Robert Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Westchester CC) and Ruland put runners on first and second before a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Gonzalez then delivered an RBI single, scoring Wootten for the first run. Ruland then scored on a wild pitch for the final run of the inning.
The Penmen tacked on three runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to pull away for the win.
Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with an RBI and senior Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) went 2-for-3. Caballero went 1-for-3 and senior Austin DeRosa (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) pitched 1.1 innings with four earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Southern N.H. was led by Henrie who went 3-for-5 with four RBI. George Welch pitched five innings with two runs allowed to earn the win.
Mercy had four hits and five errors and Southern N.H. had 21 hits and zero errors.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they face Franklin Pierce at 9 a.m. in Myrtle Beach.
