PACE DROPS DOUBLEHEADER TO MERRIMACK IN SEASON FINALE ON SENIOR DAY

PLEASANTVILLE, NY- Pace University's baseball team dropped a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader to the Warriors of Merrimack College in the team's season finale. The Setters fell in game one to the Warriors 2-0, and in game two 3-2. Pace will end the 2010 season 16-28 overall, and 8-18 in the Northeast-10 Conference, while Merrimack will improve to 18-16 overall and 13-12 in conference play.

Merrimack opened up game one by pushing across a run in the top of the first to gain an early 1-0 advantage. From there the game was primarily a pitcher duel as the game went scoreless over the next five innings.

The Warriors struck again in the top of the seventh as two doubles, would push across the second and final run of the ball game for Merrimack's 2-0 win.

Both pitchers went the distance in the opening game of the twinbill with Michael Sciarretta (Stamford, CT/Stamford) (Stamford, CT/Stamford) (4-6) allowing two runs on eight hits, a walk and three strikeouts in nine innings pitched for Pace. For Merrimack Ryan O'Rourke pitched nine shutout innings allowing four hits, a walk and 10 strikeouts.

The Setters picked the offensive action up early in game two when Michael Rodriguez (East Hampton, NY/East Hampton) (East Hampton, NY/East Hampton) hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to center allowing JJ Conrad (Hamburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley) (Hamburg, NJ/Wallkill Valley) to come home from third to give the Setters an early 1-0 lead.

The Warriors immediately bounced back tying the game with a run in the top of the second, and eventually take the lead with a run in the top of the fourth.  

In the bottom of the seventh, Tyler Hart (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) would hit a leadoff triple to right, which led to a run scoring the Setters from a bunt single by Chris Spatkowski (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) to tie the game at two.

Merrimack would immediately break the tie in the top of the eighth by pushing across the eventually winning run on a double making the score 3-2.

Michael Mastrogiovanni (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) started on the mound in  game two going seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Salvatore DePaola (East Meadow, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) (0-1) was given the loss allowing one runs on one hit in two innings of relief.