NEWARK, N.J. (Mar. 18, 2022) – Powered by a game-high two RBI from junior Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) and a career-high 11 strikeouts from junior Anthony Burgio (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) in game one, the Mercy College baseball team earned a 3-2 win over Bloomfield College before falling 6-5 in the nightcap on Friday afternoon at West Side Park.
The Mavericks (5-13) see their two-game winning streak come to an end, while the Bears (6-10) have won two of their last three games.
Game 1: Mercy 3, Bloomfield 2
Bloomfield took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on three hits. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Mercy scored a run to tie the game at 1-1. Graduate student Robert Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Westchester CC) led off the inning with a single and senior James Mattutat (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) later singled to put runners on first and third. Wootten would score on a double steal with two outs in the inning to tie the game up.
Burgio kept the Bears scoreless for the next six innings, sending the game into extra innings. Senior Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) led off the eighth inning by reaching on an error and freshman Connor Ruland (Islip, N.Y./Islip) walked. A sacrifice bunt by freshman Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) put the runners on second and third. Giblin then singled up the middle, scoring Saltzman and Ruland to give the Mavericks a 3-1 lead.
An Elvis Lopez home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth made it 3-2, but Burgio retired the next three batters to give Mercy the game one win.
Giblin went 1-for-4 with two RBI and junior Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) went 2-for-4. Wootten went 1-for-3 and Mattutat and Caballero both went 1-for-2. Saltzman went 1-for-4 and Burgio tossed a complete game with two runs allowed and a career-high 11 strikeouts to earn his first win of the year.
Bloomfield was led by Lopez who went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Christopher Walker pitched three innings of relief with one earned run allowed to take the loss.
Mercy had seven hits and no errors and Bloomfield had eight hits and two errors.
Game 2: Bloomfield 6, Mercy 5
Bloomfield took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on three hits. Mercy tied the game up with two runs in the top of the fourth. Glennerster, junior Ryan Gonzalez (Howell, N.J./Neumann University) and freshman Alfred Hoti (New York, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) recorded three straight singles to load the bases. Wootten then hit a two-RBI double to center field, scoring Gonzalez and Glennerster to tie the game at 2-2. A flyout and strikeout ended the inning with runners on second and third.
Mercy took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth. Caballero doubled and Giblin followed with a single to put runners on first and third. Glennerster then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Caballero to give Mercy a 3-2 lead.
The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the sixth when Walker doubled and later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3. The score stayed tied at 3-3 after seven innings, sending the game into extra innings.
Gonzalez led off the eighth inning with a single and senior Ivan Martinez Jr. (Bronx, N.Y./Towson University) pinch ran for him and stole second. Ruland walked before Wootten recorded a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Freshman Nathan Rodriguez (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) then delivered a two-run double, giving Mercy a 5-3 lead.
The Bears scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to earn a 6-5 walk-off win. Walker hit a two-run home run with no outs to give Bloomfield the win.
Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Wootten went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Glennerster went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Giblin went 2-for-4. Gonzalez went 2-for-3 and Caballero went 1-for-4. Sophomore Jared Hernandez (Moca, P.R./Friends University) went 1-for-3 and Hoti went 1-for-2. Freshman Scott Scheppy (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) pitched seven innings with four runs allowed to earn a no-decision. Sophomore Luis Ruiz (Weehawken, N.J./High Tech) faced two batters and gave up two runs to take the loss.
Bloomfield was led by Walker who went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Alex Medina pitched two innings to earn the win.
Mercy had 11 hits and no errors and Bloomfield had nine hits and one error.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, March 23rd when they host Dominican at 3 p.m.
