PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Junior first baseman
Garrett De Lotto (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) delivered the game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to advance the Pace University baseball team onto 2016 Northeast-10 Conference Championship Weekend with a 4-3 victory over Le Moyne College in the First Round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships Tuesday afternoon at Peter X. Finnerty Field.
With the game tied up at three in the bottom of the eighth, sophomore left fielder
Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) reached base by being hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Junior right fielder
Cory Capaldi (Telford, PA/Souderton) then moved him over to second on a ground out to third. De Lotto then came up with the big blow, smacking a double into the left-center field gap to bring Gulino around to score and put Pace on top, 4-3.
Graduate reliever
Tim Deegan (Levittown, NY/Kellenberg Memorial), who came on in relief of senior starter
Dylan Mouzakes (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills) in the top of the seventh, closed out a terrific outing by quickly getting the first two batters in the ninth to ground and fly out, respectively. He then hit center fielder Mark Martin with a pitch, but recovered to get right fielder Brian Cox to hit a grounder back to him on the mound for an easy throw over to first to end the game.
Deegan picked up the win after tossing three innings in relief, allowing just one hit and no runs. Mouzakes tossed six innings, striking out four batters and allowing just three runs in a quality start. Le Moyne reliever Josiah Gray took the loss after giving up the leading run in the bottom of the eighth.
Most of the action took place early on in Tuesday's NE-10 First Round contest. Le Moyne got on the board first in the top of the second when third baseman Pat Wright homered over the left-field foul pole to lead off the inning. The one-run lead did not last for long, though, as an RBI double by junior designated hitter
James Wynne (North Salem, NY/North Salem) scored Capaldi and tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Senior third baseman
Nick LoBello (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) then roped a ground-rule double over the left-field fence, bringing Wynne home to take a 2-1 lead.
Pace added to its lead in the top of the third when junior center fielder
John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) hit a lead-off solo homer to left-center field to make it a 3-1 game in favor of the home team. Le Moyne's first two batters were unable to reach base in the top of the fourth. Wright then singled to right to keep the inning alive for the Dolphins. Designated hitter Trey West then belted a double to left-center, plating Wright all the way from first to cut the deficit down to one. Shortstop Dylan Swetman then grounded a single through the right side, allowing West to score and tie the game at 3-3.
De Lotto went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in the game to help lead the Setters to a playoff victory. He was one of seven Setters to record a base hit in the game. Kukura batted 1-for-4 with his solo home run in the third. Wynne hit 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a double. Capaldi scored once in a 2-for-4 effort. LoBello hit 1-for-3 with an RBI double. Senior catcher
Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) went 1-for-3, while senior second baseman
Andrew Coffey (Greenwich, CT/Old Avon Farms) batted 1-for-4.
Wright got a hit in all four of his at bats on Tuesday to lead Le Moyne. He scored twice and knocked in a run, including his solo homer in the second. West batted 1-for-4 with a double, and RBI and a run scored. Swetman knocked in a run after going 1-for-4.
The Setters now advance to Northeast-10 Conference Championship Weekend, a four-team double-elimination tournament to determine the 2016 Northeast-10 Conference Champion. The weekend will be hosted by the Northeast-Division's top seed, Franklin Pierce University, in Rindge, N.H. from Thursday, May 12, to Saturday, May 14. Franklin Pierce defeated Assumption College, 6-0, Tuesday evening, and the nationally-ranked No. 3 Ravens will now be the Setters' first opponent over the weekend. The Setters and Ravens will face off in Thursday's second game at 3:30 p.m.
In the NE-10's other First Round games, Southwest No. 1 Adelphi University was upset by Southwest No. 4 College of Saint Rose, 4-0, sending the Golden Knights to Championship Weekend. Northeast No. 2 Southern New Hampshire University narrowly edged out Northeast No. 3 Merrimack College, 8-7, after taking the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
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