POMONA, N.Y. (Apr. 26, 2024) – Powered by a team-high two RBI from graduate student Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) and sophomore Kolongi Goins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./FDR), the Mercy University baseball team earned a 9-8 win over ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Friday afternoon at Clover Stadium.
The Mavericks (19-23, 9-8 ECC) have won five games in a row and defeat the Spartans (16-24, 7-10 ECC) for the second straight time. With today's win, Head Coach Chris Schoen becomes the program's all-time winningest coach with his 129th career win. He surpasses the previous record of 128 wins set by current Deputy Athletic Director Bill Sullivan in 2009.
Mercy was led by Giblin who went 4-for-5 with two RBI and by Goins who went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Junior Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and graduate student Brandon Nolasco (Chester, N.Y./Mount Saint Mary College) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Joseph Gonzalez (Monroe, N.Y./Rockland CC) went 2-for-5 with an RBI and sophomore John Nisco (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) went 2-for-5 with two runs. Sophomore Zach Ashline (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) went 1-for-4 and freshman Nevin Scaperotti (Stormville, N.Y./Carmel) went six innings with two earned runs allowed and seven strikeouts to earn his fifth win of the season. Senior Gabriel Soto (Tucson, Ariz./Mesabi Range College) recorded three outs in the ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.
STAC was led by Joseph Scamardella who went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Andrew Alameda allowed six earned runs in five innings to take the loss.
The Spartans scored a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning when Mercy plated a run to tie the game at 1-1. Caballero walked to lead off the inning and later scored on a Giblin RBI single. STAC scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.
Mercy exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning to take an 8-3 lead. Junior Alfred Hoti (New York, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) reached on an error by the second baseman to start the inning and Nisco singled to put runners on first and second. Gonzalez then singled to right field, scoring Hoti to make it 3-2. Goins then doubled down the right field line, scoring Nisco to tie the game at 3-3. Caballero doubled to left field, plating Gonzalez to give Mercy a 4-3 lead. Nolasco then singled to center field, scoring Goins to make it 5-3. After a STAC pitching change, Giblin singled home Caballero to make it 6-3. Giblin and Nolasco later scored after Hoti reached on an error by the second baseman, giving Mercy an 8-3 lead.
The Spartans scored three runs in the seventh inning and a run in the eighth inning to make it 8-7. Mercy tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth to make it 9-7. Nisco doubled with one out and later scored on a Goins infield single to give Mercy a 9-7 lead. STAC scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to make it 9-8, but Soto induced a foul out to right field to end the game, giving Mercy the 9-8 win in the series opener.
Mercy had 14 hits and four errors and STAC had nine hits and four errors.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they host STAC for a doubleheader at 12 p.m.
