SPRINGFIELD, MA – Dylan Mouzakes (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills) (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills) pitched a complete game, striking out 10 as the Pace University baseball team forged a split of a doubleheader with the American International Yellow Jackets, winning game two 4-1. AIC claimed game one by a 7-4 final.
The Setters are now 12-21 overall, 6-16 in the Northeast-10 Conference and 5-9 within the Southwest Division.
AIC (14-23, 7-18 NE-10) scored the first run of game two in the second inning on an RBI single by Brett Bohl scoring David Kerlejza. Pace countered in the fourth with an RBI double from John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) to score Chris Gili (Manorville, NY/Eastport-South Manor) (Manorville, NY/Eastport-South Manor) and knot the game at 1-1.
Tied into the seventh, the Setters took the lead for good as with one out, Brett Bittiger (Saylorsburg, PA/Pius X) (Saylorsburg, PA/Pius X High School) reached on an error and moved to second when Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) walked. After a groundout moved the runners to second and third, Jon Kovel (Schenectady, NY/Scotia Glenville) (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) brought both men home with a single to right, making it 3-1 Pace.
The Setters would tack on an insurance run in the ninth when Michael Viegas (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) brought home Bittiger with an RBI single.
The rest of the game belonged to Mouzakes who went the route for his first career complete game, striking out a career-best 10. He allowed one run and walked just one while scattering seven hits.
Pace got off to a rough start in game one as AIC scored six runs in the first two innings. The Setters rallied in the fourth, as James Pjura (Shelton, CT/Shelton) (Shelton, CT/Shelton) and Gili led off with singles. Kukura followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Pjura and moving Gili to third. Two batters later, Kovel hit a sac fly to right, playing Gili and slicing the lead to 6-2. Bittiger and Viegas both came through with singles as well, the latter of which scored Kukura to pull the Setters within three.
The two squads would muster just one more run each, however, with the Yellow Jackets playing a run in the bottom of the fourth and Pace countering in the eighth when David Pepe (Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) (Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) singled to score Alexander Rough (Stamford, CT/Westhill), who had walked earlier in the inning.
The Setters returns home for a Southwest Division matchup on Tuesday at 3:30 pm against Adelphi.
