PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball team swept a Northeast-10 Conference twinbill against Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) on Saturday at Peter X. Finnerty Field in two entirely different baseball games. Senior starter Josh Garran (Old Tappan, NJ/Northern Valley Regional) went eight strong innings, and Pace smacked 15 hits to pick up a 13-1 victory in game one. The Setters and Owls then played the longest game ever played at the new Finnerty Field, going 14 innings before junior center fielder John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) hit a walkoff single to give Pace a 4-3 win. Pace improves to 14-7 overall and 3-0 in conference play with the three-game series sweep, while the Owls drop to 6-12-1 and 0-3.
 
Game 1: Pace 13, Southern Connecticut State 1
Garran allowed just six hits and one run while striking out eight batters to earn the victory in game one and improve to 4-1 on the year. He consistently worked his way out of any trouble he ran into, including forcing two inning-ending double plays. He allowed his only earned run in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by catcher Jake Lieberman, but that was the extent of the damage in the early game.
 
Pace took full control after batting around in the bottom of the third to bring six runs home. Sophomore left fielder Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) kicked off a string of six-straight run-scoring at-bats with a single through the left side, plating graduate shortstop Brett Bittiger (Saylorsburg, PA/Pius X). Five runs in the inning chased starter Griffin Bremer, but junior first baseman Garrett De Lotto (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) knocked in the final run off reliever Jordan Picini with a single through the right side to leave Pace up, 6-0.
 
The third was the first of five straight scoring innings for the Setters. They added another two runs in the fourth, followed by their ninth run in the fifth. They picked up two more runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, reaching a total of 13 on the day.
 
Gulino finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored in Saturday's opener. Senior third baseman Nick LoBello (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) hit 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Bittiger batted 2-for-4 with two runs scored. De Lotto and junior right fielder Cory Capaldi (Telford, PA/Souderton) each knocked in two runs and scored another. Junior designated hitter James Wynne (North Salem, NY/North Salem) went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a triple.
 
Bremer took the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) in 2.1 innings, dropping to 0-4 on the year. Lieberman hit 2-for-4 with the only RBI of the game for the Owls.
 
Game 2: Pace 4, Southern Connecticut State 3 (14 innings)
Saturday's finale proved to be much different than its earlier contest. The Setters and Owls played to a 3-3 stalemate after seven innings before both teams went six more innings without putting a run on the board. That changed in the bottom of the 14th, when Kukura ripped a single up the middle, bringing sophomore Jim Thorpe IV (Naugatuck, CT/Holy Cross) home from third to end the game in walkoff fashion.
 
The start of the game looked like it could be a repeat of Saturday's first matchup. Kukura reached on an error to lead off the first, and then advanced all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman Andrew Coffey (Greenwich, CT/Old Avon Farms). Gulino then brought him in on a fielder's choice to make it an early 1-0 lead for the home team. Gulino later scored on an RBI single up the middle by Capaldi that put Pace up by two. De Lotto was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one away, but Owl starter Jason Harper was able to work his way out of the inning without further damages.
 
Lieberman walked with two away in the third to keep the inning alive for the Owls. Back-to-back wild pitches moved him over to third, and he later scored on a double by left fielder Jake Paul to cut the Setters' lead in half at 2-1. Two innings later, Paul picked up another RBI on an infield single, scoring third baseman Ryan Kaplan to tie the game.
 
Southern Connecticut broke the tie on first baseman Mike DeMartino's infield single in the top of the seventh that plated shortstop Greg Zullo. Wynne legged out a grounder to short to kick off the home half of the seventh, and was then sacrificed over to second by junior designated hitter Domenick Luongo (Darien, CT/Cardinal Spellman). Bittiger grounded out to second, moving Wynne over to third. Kukura then beat out a grounder into the hole on the left side, allowing Wynne to score and tie the game.
 
Both teams went down quickly in the eighth and ninth, sending the game to extra innings. Each team picked up a single in the 10th, but both were unable to advance those runners, keeping the game going.
 
Pace nearly ran into trouble on the first at bat of the 12th frame. Paul struck out, but a ball in the dirt led to an errant throw into right field. Paul easily took second, and motored his way toward third. Gulino, now playing right field, picked up the ball, and fired a laser over to third, getting it there just in time to get Paul for the first out of the inning.
 
The Setters put runners on second and third with just one down in the bottom of the 13th, but were unable to capitalize and win the game.
 
Senior catcher Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) opened the 14th with a walk, and was then sacrificed over into scoring position. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch, and was pinch run for by Thorpe. Bittiger came up with a chance to win it, but did not see a good pitch and walked. He then took second on defensive indifference. Then Kukura came up with the most important hit of the game, a hard grounder right up the middle to bring in Thorpe and win the game.
 
Also deserving much of the credit is senior reliever Mike Sweeney (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic), who went six innings in relief without allowing a run to pick up the win. He also struck out four batters and allowed just four hits after coming in to start the ninth. Senior starter Michael Forgione (West Harrison, NY/Harrison) went five innings, giving up two runs and striking out five. Sophomore reliever Michael Amato (Farmingdale, NY/Sachem East/Suffolk CC) was also effective in three relief innings, allowing just one run on three hits.
 
Kukura went 3-for-7 in Saturday's nightcap, knocking in two RBIs, stealing a base and scoring a run. Gulino went 1-for-6, but provided both an RBI and a run. Capaldi hit 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
SCSU's Christopher Ramos took the loss after allowing the game-winning run in 1/3 of an inning. Harper went eight innings and allowed three runs (one earned). Paul batted 3-for-7 with two RBIs and a double, while DeMartino also went 3-for-7 with an RBI. Kaplan hit 2-for-5 with a run scored.
 
The Setters have now won 10 of their last 11 games, and will look to improve upon that streak with a non-conference road game at Caldwell University on Tuesday, March 29. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. in Caldwell, N.J.
 
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