POMONA, N.Y. (Apr. 28, 2024) – Despite a team-high two RBI from graduate student Brandon Nolasco (Chester, N.Y./Mount Saint Mary College), the Mercy University baseball team dropped a 13-4 decision at ECC foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday afternoon at Clover Stadium.
The Mavericks (19-26, 9-11 ECC) have dropped three games in a row and drop the season series to the Spartans (19-24, 10-10 ECC), 3-1.
Mercy was led by Nolasco who went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run. Sophomore John Nisco (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and graduate student Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt) went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Junior Joseph Gonzalez (Monroe, N.Y./Rockland CC) went 2-for-4 and graduate student Janiel Ramirez (Windsor, Conn./The College of Saint Rose) went 1-for-3. Junior Jaden Caballero (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) went 1-for-4 and junior Alfred Hoti (New York, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) went 1-for-4. Sophomore Riley Williams (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket) allowed eight runs in 7.1 innings with five strikeouts to take the loss.
STAC was led by Gregory DiGiaro who went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Bobby LeFevre allowed four runs in 5.1 innings to earn the win.
Mercy scored two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. Caballero singled and Nolasco walked to lead off the game before Giblin singled home Caballero to make it 1-0. Nisco later brought home Nolasco after reaching on a fielder's choice to make it 2-0. The Spartans scored four runs in the bottom of the first on a DiGiaro grand slam to take a 4-2 lead.
STAC added a run in the second inning to take a 5-2 lead. The score remained 5-2 until the top of the fourth when Mercy scored a run to make it 5-3. Gonzalez and Ramirez singled to lead off the inning and Gonzalez later scored on a Nolasco sacrifice fly.
The Mavericks inched closer with a run in the sixth inning to make it 5-4. Graduate student Justin Glennerster (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) reached on an error by the third baseman and later scored on a Nolasco RBI single.
The score remained 5-4 until the bottom of the eighth when STAC scored eight runs to take a 13-4 lead. Mercy could not score in the top of the ninth, giving the Spartans the 13-4 win and the series win.
Mercy had 10 hits and two errors and STAC had 14 hits and one error.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Friday, May 3rd when they host D'Youville for a doubleheader at 12 p.m.
