PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – A two-run first inning proved to be all the Pace University baseball team needed as the Setters rolled to a 7-1 victory over Bloomfield College Tuesday afternoon at the new Peter X. Finnerty Field. Pace improves to 2-0 on the season with the win, while the Bears drop to 0-1.
Junior center fielder
John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) opened the first with a single to make it five straight hits to start his season. He then moved over to second on a failed pickoff attempt by the pitcher. Junior designated hitter
James Wynne (North Salem, NY/North Salem) then reached on a fielding error by the pitcher, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. Senior third baseman
Nick LoBello (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) drew a walk to load the bases, and then junior right fielder
Cory Capaldi (Telford, PA/Souderton) brought Kukura around to score on a fielder's choice. With bases loaded again later in the inning, sophomore left fielder
Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) hit a single to right, bringing in Wynne to make it a 2-0 lead through one.
The bats went quiet until the fourth when senior starting pitcher
Josh Garran (Old Tappan, NJ/Northern Valley Regional) found himself stuck with bases loaded. He got the first two batters of the inning out before right fielder Isaac Pichardo reached on an infield single. Designated hitter Luis Hidalgo then doubled to right to put runners on second and third, and then left fielder Harold Hester walked to load the bases. Garran then got center fielder Azmir Garcia to ground out to third to end the inning.
The Setters picked it back up again in the sixth after Bloomfield made a pitching change. With two runners on, Wynne hit a screaming double down the left-field line, clearing the bases and putting Pace up, 4-0, after six innings.
Senior reliever
Mike Sweeney (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) tossed two scoreless innings in relief of Garran before the eighth. After getting the first two batters, catcher Luke Loughery hit a home run just inside the left field foul pole to get the Bears on the board. He found himself in more trouble after back-to-back singles, but struck out the next batter to escape trouble. Sweeney struck out five batters in three innings of work.
The Setters gave themselves a little more breathing room in the home half of the eighth. Junior first baseman
Garrett De Lotto (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) singled to left-center to bring in LoBello, and then senior catcher
Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) hit a long double to right-center, bringing in two more runs to make it a 7-1 lead, which the Setters held on to with a scoreless ninth by sophomore reliever
Michael Amato (Farmingdale, NY/Sachem East/Suffolk CC) to pick up the win.
Garran starts his season 1-0 after tossing five shutout innings in his first start. He scattered four hits and struck out one in a solid outing. Carlos Tejeda took the loss for the Bears after allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings.
De Lotto finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and two walks in Tuesday's win. Wynne hit 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. Mayo batted 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a double. Kukura went 2-for-5 out of the leadoff spot with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Bloomfield's Loughery went 1-for-4 with a home run to score and knock in the team's only run. Shortstop Juan Reina went 2-for-4, while Hidalgo batted 1-for-3 with a double and a stolen base.
The Setters' 11 hits mark their second-straight game with double-digit hits to start the season. They also played a spotless game, while the Bears helped Pace by committing five errors.
The Setters and Bears will face off again this Thursday, March 3, in another matchup at Finnerty Field. First pitch is once again scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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