UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Powered by a game-high and career-high five RBI from senior Zach Ashline (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) and a home run and three RBI from senior Sean McAdams (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe), the No. 2 seeded Mercy University Baseball Team earned an 11-10 walk-off win in 10 innings over No. 3 seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College on Day One of the ECC Baseball Championship on Thursday afternoon at the Mitchel Athletic Complex.
The Mavericks (27-22) have won two games in a row and will play at No. 1 seed Molloy tomorrow at 1 p.m. The Spartans (26-22) will face No. 4 seed D'Youville in an elimination game tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Mercy took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Junior Dylan Koch (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Pace University) singled, sophomore Geneo Savoca (Albany, N.Y./University at Albany) walked and senior John Nisco (Tarrytown, N.Y./Sleepy Hollow) singled to load the bases. Ashline then hit a bases-clearing double to make it 3-0.
The Mavericks added a run in the second inning to make it 4-0. Graduate student Alfred Hoti (New York, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) doubled and later scored on a Koch groundout to second.
STAC scored three runs in the fifth to make it 4-3 and run in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4.
Mercy took the lead back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring a run to take a 5-4 lead. Senior David Bernard Jr. (Schenectady, N.Y./Herkimer CC) singled and later scored on a McAdams double.
STAC scored three runs in the seventh inning to take a 7-5 lead. However, Mercy battled right back, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 10-7 lead. Senior Kolongi Goins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./FDR) doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a Koch double to make it 7-6. Ashline later doubled home Koch and Savoca to make it 8-7. McAdams capped off the scoring with a two-run home run to left field, giving Mercy a 10-7 lead.
STAC scored a run in the eighth inning and two runs in the ninth inning to tie the game at 10-10. After a scoreless bottom of the ninth and top of the 10th, Mercy scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. Junior Kyle Engmann (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) reached on an error by the second baseman and advanced to second on a Hoti sacrifice bunt. Goins then reached on an error by the second baseman, allowing Engmann to score winning run, giving Mercy the 11-10 walk-off win in 10 innings.
Mercy was led by Ashline who went 2-for-5 with a career-high five RBI. McAdams went 3-for-5 with three RBI and his second home run of the season. Koch went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs, recording his 100th career hit. Goins went 2-for-5 with a run and Bernard Jr. went 2-for-5 with a run. Savoca went 1-for-3 with two runs and Nisco went 1-for-5 with a run. Hoti went 1-for-4 with a run and sophomore Nevin Scaperotti (Stormville, N.Y./Carmel) allowed seven runs in 7.0 innings to earn a no-decision. Freshman Dylan Ruland (Islip, N.Y./Islip) pitched a scoreless 10th inning to earn his fifth win of the season.
STAC was led by Joshua Mccormick who went 4-for-6 with three RBI. James Garcia allowed no earned runs in 1.1 innings to take the loss.
Mercy had 15 hits and one error and STAC had 14 hits and two errors.
Head Coach Chris Schoen and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at No. 1 seed Molloy at 1 p.m. on Day Two of the ECC Championship.
