DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 1, 2022) – Powered by two home runs from junior Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) and a nine-inning complete game from senior Jonathan Diforio (Harrison, N.Y./University of Delaware), the Mercy College baseball team earned 3-1 and 14-7 wins over College of Staten Island on Friday afternoon at Mercy Field.
The Mavericks (10-14, 3-1 ECC) have won five of their last six games, while the Dolphins (6-13, 0-4 ECC) remain winless in ECC play. The 14 runs scored in game two is a season high.
Game 1: Mercy 3, Staten Island 1
Staten Island took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a Thomas Marten RBI single. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth when Mercy scored a run to tie the game at 1-1. Junior Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) singled, graduate student Robert Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Westchester CC) walked and freshman Nathan Rodriguez (Hamilton, N.J./Hamilton West) singled to load the bases. Senior Ryan Saltzman (Old Bethpage, N.Y./Plainview Old Bethpage JFK) later brought home Wootten after reaching on a fielder's choice to make it 1-1.
Diforio and Staten Island starter John Esposito continued to toss scoreless innings until the bottom of the ninth. Freshman Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) doubled to left center and Giblin followed with a walk-off home run to left center, giving Mercy the 3-1 walk-off win.
Giblin went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI and Rodriguez went 1-for-2. Caballero and Glennerster went 1-for-3 and senior Nikko Liguori (Branford, Conn./Franklin Pierce University) went 1-for-4. Diforio pitched his second straight nine-inning complete game with just one run allowed and seven strikeouts to earn the win.
Staten Island was led by Marten who went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Esposito went eight innings with three earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Mercy had five hits and no errors and Staten Island had seven hits and no errors.
Game 2: Mercy 14, Staten Island 7
Staten Island took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run triple by Pat Gardner. The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the second when Mercy scored six runs to take a 6-2 lead. Sophomore Jared Hernandez (Moca, P.R./Friends University) reached on an error and freshman Alfred Hoti (New York, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) singled to put runners on first and second. After a flyout, Wootten tripled to right center, scoring both Hernandez and Hoti to tie the game at 2-2. Freshman Frankie Asaro (East Williston, N.Y./Wheatley) followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring Wootten to make it 3-2. Liguori later brought home Asaro on an RBI single to center field, giving Mercy a 4-2 lead. Giblin capped off the scoring with his second two-run home run of the day to put the Mavericks up 6-2 after two innings.
The Dolphins answered with four runs in the third inning to tie the game at 6-6. Mercy retook the lead in the bottom of the inning with four runs to take a 10-6 lead. Hoti singled and later scored on a wild pitch to give Mercy a 7-6 lead. Caballero later recorded a two-run triple to give Mercy a 9-6 advantage and Liguori singled home Caballero to put Mercy up 10-6 after three innings.
The Mavericks increased the lead to 12-6 in the bottom of the fourth when senior James Mattutat (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) singled home Giblin and Hoti also scored after an error by the left fielder. The Dolphins scored a run in the fifth inning to make it 12-7. Mattutat increased the Mavericks lead to 14-7 in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run.
Sophomore Joshua Alvarado (Yonkers, N.Y./Saunders) retired the Dolphins in order in the seventh to give Mercy the win.
Giblin went 3-for-4 with a home run two RBI and two runs and Mattutat went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Liguori went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Caballero went 1-for-5 with two RBI. Wootten went 1-for-3 with two RBI and Asaro went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Hoti went 2-for-3 with three runs and Hernandez went 2-for-4. Graduate student Manuel Sanchez (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining) pitched three innings with six runs allowed to earn a no-decision. Alvarado pitched four innings with one earned run allowed to earn his first collegiate win.
Staten Island was led by John Castiglione who went 2-for-2 with three RBI. Adam Gonzalez pitched two innings with two earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Mercy had 16 hits and no errors and Staten Island had seven hits and four errors.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Staten Island at 12 p.m.
