PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Senior starter
Dylan Mouzakes (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills) tossed a brilliant game on Sunday to pick up his eighth win of the season, and his 17th-career victory, moving him into third place all by himself on the Pace University baseball team's all-time wins list. The Setters defeated the College of Saint Rose, 3-1, in Sunday's Northeast-10 Conference matchup at Peter X. Finnerty Field to improve to 24-16 overall, and 9-4 in the Southwest Division, moving Pace into first place. Saint Rose drops to 15-13 and 6-3 in the division.
Mouzakes went the full nine innings on Sunday, allowing just one run and striking out 10 batters to improve to 8-1 on the year. He now has a career record of 17-7, and recorded his third complete game of the season.
The Setters leapfrogged the Golden Knights for first place in the Southwest Division with Sunday's win. The Setters have five more games against divisional opponents left on their schedule, while Saint Rose still has to play nine more divisional games. Third place Adelphi University, currently sitting at 8-5 in the division, also has five more in-division games to play.
Saint Rose got on the board first in Sunday's contest when left fielder Nick Venier singled in right fielder Sean Maki from third to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. The Setters quickly responded in their next at bat. They put runners on the corners with two away, and sophomore left fielder
Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) then legged out an infield single, scoring graduate shortstop
Brett Bittiger (Saylorsburg, PA/Pius X) from third to tie the game.
The Setters pulled off a two-out rally in the fifth to take the lead. Junior center fielder
John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) came up with two down, and kept the inning going with a single to right. Senior second baseman
Andrew Coffey (Greenwich, CT/Old Avon Farms) followed with another single into right field, and both runners advanced into scoring position on the throw trying to get Kukura at third. Gulino then walked to load the bases, and junior right fielder
Cory Capaldi (Telford, PA/Souderton) took a pitch off the arm to bring in what proved to be the winning run of the game.
Capaldi opened the home half of the eighth with a double to deep left. He then moved over to third on a ground out by junior first baseman
Garrett De Lotto (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug). Senior catcher
Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) came through with the insurance run on a single over the shortstop's head to make it a 3-1 lead for Pace. Mouzakes then mowed down the Golden Knights in order in the ninth to secure the victory.
Capaldi went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run in the win. Kukura hit 2-for-4 with a run scored. Gulino knocked in a run after going 1-for-3, and Mayo did the same in a 1-for-4 outing. Bittiger scored once after hitting 1-for-3.
Saint Rose starter Nick Cioffi took his first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to 4-1 after giving up three runs in 7.1 innings. Venier hit 2-for-4 with an RBI in the game, and Maki batted 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.
The Setters have another big matchup coming up on Wednesday, April 27, when they visit Garden City, N.Y. to take on Adelphi University for another Southwest Division contest. The game is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
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