YAPHANK, NY – The Pace University baseball team claimed their first win of 2014, splitting a doubleheader against the Merrimack Warriors. The Setters won game one by a score of 16-2 before falling 2-0 in the nightcap.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth of game one, the Setters cracked the scoreboard. A one-out walk by Jon Kovel (Schenectady, NY/Scotia Glenville) (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) was followed by a single from David Pepe (Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) (Caldwell, NY/James Caldwell) to put runners on first and second. Michael Viegas (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) lined a single to right, bringing home Kovel to knot the game at 1-1. Following a fly out, James Pjura (Shelton, CT/Shelton) (Shelton, CT/Shelton) cranked his first homerun of the season, a three-run bomb to right, making it 4-1 Pace.
Not done, the Setters restarted the inning as Ian Wukitsch (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) (Morristown, NJ/Morristown) singled to left and moved to second on a wild pitch. Tom Midolo (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) bounced a single through the left side to plate Wukitsch, pushing the lead to 5-1.
Pace broke the game open in the late innings, aided by wildness and errors as the Setters tacked on three runs in the seventh and scored eight runs in the eighth. Highlighting the frame were a pair of hits by Chris Gili (Manorville, NY/Eastport-South Manor) (Manorville, NY/Eastport-South Manor) and the first collegiate hits from John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) and Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley).
Tim Deegan (Levittown, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) (Levittown, NY/Kellenberg) upped his record to 1-0 with the win, pitching 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out four. Brian Sundburg (Westbury, NY/WT Clarke) started and allowed just one run in 4.1 innings, fanning six.
Game two proved to be a pitcher's duel as the Warriors and Pace were scoreless into the sixth. Merrimack tallied the first run of the game on an RBI single by Frank Crinella to bring home Mike Forgione.
Jonathan Silva (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) started and took the hard luck loss for the Setters, surrendering just one run on three hits in 5.2 innings. Conor McMahon earned the win for the Warriors, scattering seven hits in seven shutout innings. Offensively for Pace, Viegas went 2-for-4.
The Setters are next in action on Wednesday when they will host Dominican at 3:30 pm
