PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Junior designated hitter
James Wynne (North Salem, NY/North Salem) blooped a walkoff single to right field in the bottom of 10th inning to lead the Pace University baseball team to a 6-5 game-one victory over the College of Saint Rose to kick off a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader at Peter X. Finnerty Field on Saturday. The Setters fell to the Golden Knights in game two, 10-1. The split moves Pace to 23-15 overall and 8-4 in the Northeast-10 Southwest Division, while Saint Rose goes to 15-12 on the year and 6-2 in the division.
Game 1: Pace 6, Saint Rose 5 (10 inn)
Saint Rose rallied for two runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings of game one, tying the game at 5-5 and eventually sending the game to extra innings. Senior catcher
Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) led off the bottom of the 10th with a single through the right side, and then senior third baseman
Nick LoBello (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) sacrificed him into scoring position. The plan worked to perfection, as Wynne blooped a perfectly-placed single in no-man's land between the first baseman, second baseman and right fielder, allowing Mayo to score from second and end the game.
Pace took an early lead after scoring in the bottom of the first of Saturday's opener. Junior center fielder
John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) opened the frame with a double to center, and was then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman
Andrew Coffey (Greenwich, CT/Old Avon Farms). Junior first baseman
Garrett De Lotto (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) later got the job done by singling up the middle to score Kukura for a 1-0 edge.
Coffey scored the second run of the game for the Setters in the bottom of the third. After junior right fielder
Cory Capaldi (Telford, PA/Souderton) popped out to second, a throwing error led to Coffey scoring from second to double the lead.
De Lotto picked up his second RBI of the game in the bottom of the fifth with runners on the corners. He hit a grounder to second, leading to a fielder's choice that brought sophomore left fielder
Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) around to score and make it 3-1 after Saint Rose picked up a run in the fourth..
The Setters put two runners into scoring position with two away in the bottom of the sixth. Coffey then smacked a double to center, bringing in Wynne and Kukura to take a 5-1 advantage. Saint Rose tied the game with four runs over the next two innings, but the Setters grabbed the win in extras.
Wynne went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run, a double and the walkoff single in Saturday's opener. Kukura hit 1-for-3 with two runs, a double and a stolen base. De Lotto batted 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
Saint Rose shortstop Tyler Ungerland hit 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run and a double. Center fielder Derek Reed went 2-for-5 with two runs.
Sophomore reliever
Anthony Criscione (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) earned his first victory of the season after going 2.1 innings in relief of senior starter
Josh Garran (Old Tappan, NJ/Northern Valley Regional). Criscione struck out three without allowing a baserunner. Garran went 7.2 innings in the start, giving up three earned runs and fanning seven. Carmine Vricciariello took the loss for Saint Rose after giving up the winning run in the 10th.
Game 2: Saint Rose 10, Pace 1
Saturday's finale got off to a shaky start, as the Golden Knights put up a run in each of the first three innings. Gulino knocked in the Setters' only run of the game on an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth, but two runs in the fifth, two more in the sixth and three in the seventh for Saint Rose led to a 10-1 win for the visitors.
Saint Rose's Tyler Childrose went the complete nine innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven. Graduate starter
Tim Deegan (Levittown, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) took the loss to fall to 1-2.
Gulino hit 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI for Pace. De Lotto hit 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Saint Rose was led by right fielder Sean Maki, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a double. Left fielder Nick Venier hit 2-for-6 with a solo home run.
The Setters and Golden Knights face off one more time tomorrow, April 25, at Finnerty Field. Sunday's conference matchup is set for a 1:30 p.m. start.
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