UNIONDALE, N.Y. (May 12, 2023) -Powered by 34 runs scored, the No. 4 seeded Mercy College baseball team earned their first ECC Tournament win since 2010 with a 21-17 win over No. 2 seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College before falling to No. 3 seeded Queens College, 14-13, on Friday afternoon at Mitchel Field.

The Mavericks (16-33) see their season end in the ECC Tournament for the third straight season, win their first ECC Tournament game since 2010 and played the highest scoring game in ECC Championship history against the Spartans (23-27). The Knights (31-17) advance to Saturday's final against Molloy at 12 p.m. The 21 runs scored in game one are a season high and the most runs scored in a game since they scored 22 against D'Youville on April 2, 2021.

Game 1: Mercy 21, St. Thomas Aquinas 17

After two scoreless innings, the Spartans took a 3-0 lead on a Gregory DiGiaro two-run single and a Sean Lynch groundout. Mercy answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-1. Senior Janiel Ramirez (Windsor, Conn./The College of Saint Rose) doubled and later scored on a sophomore Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) RBI single.

The Mavericks would tie the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning. Graduate student Steven Schoen (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./Sacred Heart University) and freshman Zach Ashline (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) walked to lead off the inning and Schoen would score on a freshman Sean McAdams (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. Junior Gabe Sanders (Dunedin, Fla./Central Alabama CC) singled home Ashline to tie the game at 3-3.

The Spartans regained the lead with seven runs in the top of the fifth to take a 10-3 lead. STAC looked to have the game in hand, but the Mavericks had other plans and came back with a stunning 14-run inning to take a 17-10 lead. Senior Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-Dewitt) singled and Schoen doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Ashline then doubled to right center, scoring both Schoen and Giblin to make it 10-5. Following a groundout to make two outs in the inning, McAdams smashed a two-run home run over the left field fence to make it 10-7. Sanders singled and Ramirez walked before junior Jared Hernandez (Moca, P.R./Friends University) doubled to score Sanders, making it 10-8. Caballero walked before Giblin reached on a fielder's choice to bring home Ramirez, making it 10-9. Schoen drew a bases-loaded walk to score Hernandez tying the game at 10-10. Ashline was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, plating Caballero to give Mercy an 11-10 lead. Giblin scored on a passed ball to put the Mavericks up 12-10 and Schoen scored after sophomore Joseph Gonzalez (Monroe, N.Y./Rockland CC) reached on an error to increase the lead to 13-10. McAdams singled to center field to score Ashline to make it 14-10. Sanders capped off the impressive inning with a three-run bomb over the left field fence to give Mercy a 17-10 lead.

STAC answered with four runs in the top of the sixth to make it 17-14. The Spartans inched closer with a run in the seventh inning to cut Mercy's lead to one, 17-16.

Mercy continued to swing the bats and plated three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 20-16. Gonzalez singled and McAdams reached on an error before Sanders tripled to left center, scoring two runs to make it 19-16. Ramirez then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Sanders to give Mercy a 20-16 lead.

The Mavericks increased the lead to 21-16 in the eighth inning on a Giblin home run to left center field.

The Spartans would score a run in the ninth inning to make it 21-17, but graduate student Ryan DeMille (Millstone, N.J./Dominican University) induced a double play to give Mercy their first ECC Tournament win since 2010.

Sanders went 4-for-5 with three runs, a home run and a game-high six RBI. McAdams went 3-for-4 with three runs, a home run and four RBI and Giblin went 3-for-6 with a home run, three runs and two RBI. Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with two runs and Schoen went 1-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. Caballero went 1-for-5 with an RBI and Ashline went 1-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Ramirez and Hernandez both went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Graduate student Kevin Seckler (Beacon, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) made the start and pitched three innings with three runs allowed to take a no-decision. Freshman Riley Williams (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket) pitched 0.2 innings with one earned run allowed to earn his first collegiate win. DeMille recorded the final two outs to earn his first save.

STAC was led by Andrew Guerra who went 3-for-6 with four RBI. Mateo Reyes allowed two earned runs to take the loss.

Mercy had 17 hits and three errors and STAC had 22 hits and two errors.

Game 2: Queens 14, Mercy 13

Queens took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Reed Hoskins bases-loaded walk. The Knights added a run in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead.

Mercy quickly came back with six runs in the bottom of the third to take a 6-2 lead. Schoen got the rally started with a hit by pitch and was followed by an Ashline double to right center. Gonzalez brought home Schoen on a groundout to make it 2-1. McAdams singled home Ashline to tie the game at 2-2. Sanders singled and Ramirez walked before Hernandez singled to center field, scoring two runs to make it 4-2. After a Caballero walk loaded the bases, Giblin delivered a two-run single to left field to give Mercy a 6-2 lead.

The Knights rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take tie the game at 6-6.

The score remained 6-6 until the sixth inning when Mercy put up another crooked number, scoring seven runs to take a 13-6 lead. Ramirez singled to lead off the inning and was sacrificed over by Hernandez. Caballero singled to put runners on first and third before Giblin came through again with a two-run triple to put the Mavericks up 8-6. Schoen brought home Giblin on a sacrifice fly to make it 9-6. Ashline walked and Gonzalez singled before McAdams singled home another run to give Mercy a 10-6 lead. Ramirez later drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 11-6 and Hernandez singled home two more runs to increase the Mavericks lead to 13-6.

Mercy maintained a 13-6 lead until the bottom of the eighth when the Knights scored seven runs on five hits and one Mercy error to tie the game at 13-13.

The Mavericks went down in order in the top of the ninth, giving Queens the chance to win the game in the bottom of the inning. Marc Cisco walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball. A flyout to left field moved Cisco to third before a pair of intentional walks loaded the bases. Cisco would score the winning run on a wild pitch to give the Knights the 14-13 walk-off win, ending Mercy's season.

Giblin went 2-for-6 with four RBI and Hernandez went 2-for-4 with four RBI. McAdams went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Gonzalez went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Ramirez went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Sanders went 2-for-4. Ashline went 1-for-4 with two runs and Caballero went 1-for-5. Junior Gabriel Soto (Tucson, Ariz./Mesabi Range College) made the start and allowed five earned runs in three innings to take a no-decision. Junior Nelson Perez Jr. (Miami, Fla./Sussex County CC) allowed one run in 0.1 innings to take the loss.

Queens was led by Hoskins who had a game-high three RBI. Dean Fazah pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

Mercy had 13 hits and two errors and Queens had 14 hits and no errors.