FLUSHING, N.Y. – Powered by a team-high five RBI and a home run on the day from senior John Nisco (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) and wins from sophomores Gordon Votruba (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) and Ryan DiNapoli (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), the Mercy University Baseball Team earned 19-7 and 3-2 wins at ECC foe Queens College on Saturday afternoon at Hennekens Stadium.
The Mavericks (9-9, 3-1 ECC) have won three games in a row and sweep a doubleheader at the Knights (4-8, 1-3 ECC) for the first time since 2021. Mercy starts 3-1 in ECC play for the first time since 2024.
Game 1: Mercy 19, Queens 7
Mercy took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Sophomore Matthew Hesselbirg (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Newfield) doubled and later scored on a Nisco double to make it 1-0. Junior Nevin Scaperotti (Stormville, N.Y./Carmel) later singled home Nisco to make it 2-0. Senior Kolongi Goins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./FDR) singled and sophomore Geneo Savoca (Albany, N.Y./University at Albany) walked to load the bases before junior Dylan Koch (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Pace University) singled home Scaperotti and Goins to make it 4-0.
The Mavericks added a run in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead. Senior Zach Ashline (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) singled with one out and scored on a Scaperotti RBI single. Queens scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-4.
The Knights tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth.
Mercy regained the lead with four runs in the fifth inning. Hesselbirg singled to lead off the inning and later scored on a Nisco two-run home run to left field, making it 7-5. Scaperotti later singled and scored on a Goins double to make it 8-5. Savoca then singled home Goins to give Mercy a 9-5 lead.
Votruba retired Queens in order in the bottom of the fifth. The Mavericks exploded for eight runs in the sixth inning to take a 17-5 lead. Hesselbirg led off the inning with a double and scored on an Ashline single to make it 10-5. Nisco then doubled before senior David Bernard Jr. (Schenectady, N.Y./Herkimer CC) doubled home Ashline and Nisco to put Mercy up, 12-5. Bernard Jr. later scored after a Queens error to make it 14-5. Koch scored on a wild pitch to make it 15-5 and Ashline hit a two-run double to give Mercy a 17-5 lead.
Queens scored a run in the seventh inning to make it 17-6.
The Mavericks scored two runs in the eighth inning to take a 19-6 lead. Hesselbirg walked and Ashline singled before Nisco singled home Hesselbirg to make it 18-6. Bernard Jr. then singled home Ashline to put the Mavericks up, 19-6.
Queens scored a run in the ninth inning to make it 19-7, but Mercy earned the convincing game one win.
Mercy was led by Nisco who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, three runs and his second home run of the season. Ashline went 4-for-6 with three RBI and three runs and Scaperotti went 5-for-6 with two RBI and two runs. Bernard Jr. went 2-for-5 with three RBI and Goins went 3-for-6 with one RBI. Savoca went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Koch went 2-for-6 with two RBI. Hesselbirg went 3-for-4 with a game-high five runs and sophomore Andre Jenkins (Chester, N.Y./Chester Academy) went 1-for-1. Votruba pitched 5.0 innings with five runs allowed and three strikeouts to earn his first win of the season. Senior Jack Sullivan (Orlando, Fla./Allegany College of Maryland) pitched 2.0 innings of relief with one run allowed and senior Diego Wirz (Stamford, Conn./Stamford) tossed 1.0 scoreless inning.
Queens was led by Michael Vilardi who went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Johnny Dezago allowed eight runs in 3.0 innings to take the loss.
Mercy had a season-high 26 hits with one error and Queens had 13 hits and two errors.
Game 2: Mercy 3, Queens 2
Mercy took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Sophomore Anthony Altobelli (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) led off the game with a single and later scored on a Koch double to make it 1-0. Nisco later plated Koch on a groundout to shortstop, making it 2-0.
Queens scored a run in the third inning to make it 2-1.
The Mavericks got a run back in the fourth inning to make it 3-1. Ashline reached on an error to lead off the inning and scored on a Bernard Jr. groundout to shortstop. The Knights inched closer in the bottom of the inning with a run to make it 3-2. The combination of DiNapoli and Savoca held the Knights scoreless for the remainder of the game, giving Mercy the 3-2 game two win and the sweep.
Mercy was led by Altobelli who went 2-for-3 and by Nisco and Koch who both went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Bernard Jr. went 1-for-2 with an RBI and graduate student Connor Ruland (Islip, N.Y./Islip) went 1-for-3. DiNapoli pitched 4.0 innings with two runs allowed to earn his team-leading third win of the season. Savoca pitched the final 3.0 innings with five strikeouts without allowing a run to earn his first collegiate save.
Queens was led by Justin Chong who went 2-for-4 with a run. Christopher Naronis pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts to take the loss.
Mercy had six hits and no errors and Queens had six hits and two errors.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action on Friday, March 20th when they host STAC for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
