UNIONDALE, N.Y. (May 11, 2023) – Despite three Mavericks recording an RBI, the No. 4 seeded Mercy College baseball team dropped a 12-4 decision to No. 1 seeded Molloy University in Game One of the ECC Baseball Championship on Thursday afternoon at Mitchel Field.
The Mavericks (15-32) have dropped two games in a row and will play the loser of STAC/Queens tomorrow at 10 a.m. in an elimination game at Mitchel Field. If Mercy wins the 10 a.m. game they will play again at 4 p.m., needing another win to advance. The Lions (34-15) defeat Mercy for the fifth time this season and will play the winner of STAC/Queens tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Senior Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and graduate student Steven Schoen (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Sacred Heart University) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sophomore Joseph Gonzalez (Monroe, N.Y./Rockland CC) went 2-for-4 and sophomore Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) went 1-for-4 with a run. Freshman Sean McAdams (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) went 1-for-4 and junior Jared Hernandez (Moca, P.R./Friends University) went 1-for-2. Junior Gabe Sanders (Dunedin, Fla./Central Alabama CC) recorded an RBI. Sophomore Scott Scheppy (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) pitched 6.1 innings with six earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Molloy was led by Aidan Larkin who went 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI. Charlie Cucchiara pitched seven innings with three earned runs allowed to earn the win.
After two scoreless innings of play, Mercy took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Hernandez walked to lead off the inning and Caballero singled. Hernandez later advanced to third after a flyout. Caballero stole second and Hernandez scored on a steal of home to give Mercy a 1-0 lead. Glennerster then singled home Caballero to make it 2-0. The Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 3-2 lead.
Molloy added a run in the fifth inning on a Thomas Lebrecht RBI triple to make it 4-2.
Mercy inched closer with a run in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 4-3. Schoen and McAdams singled to lead off the inning and Gonzalez reached on an error by the first baseman to load the bases. Sanders drove home Schoen after reaching on a fielder's choice.
The Mavericks would tie the game at 4-4 in the seventh inning. After two groundouts made two outs in the inning, Glennerster singled and freshman Zach Ashline (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) reached on a hit by pitch. Schoen then doubled down the right field line, scoring Glennerster to tie the game at 4-4. A groundout to shortstop ended the inning with the go-ahead run at third base.
Molloy scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 10-4 lead. A two-run home run by Chris Peralta gave the Lions a 6-4 lead and Larkin also hit a two-run home run later in the inning to make it 10-4.
The Lions tacked on two more runs in the eighth inning to build a 12-4 lead.
Mercy went down in order in the ninth inning giving Molloy the win.
Mercy had nine hits and two errors and Molloy had 19 hits and two errors.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they face the loser of STAC/Queens in an elimination game at 10 a.m. at Mitchel Field.
