SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Pace University baseball team split its regular-season ending doubleheader at American International College (AIC) on Saturday. AIC took game one, 5-4, on a ninth-inning walkoff, but the Setters rebounded to pick up a 6-2 win in the day's finale. Pace finishes the regular season with a 28-20 overall mark, and an 11-7 record in Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division play. AIC concludes the year at 12-34 and 6-12.
Pace's 11-7 record leaves them tied atop the Southwest with Adelphi University, as both teams have played all 18 scheduled Southwest-Division games. Inclement weather postponed the College of Saint Rose's three-game series at the University of New Haven, and the results of that series, as well as Le Moyne College vs. Southern Connecticut State University, play a significant role in determining the division's final standings. Pace has already clinched a postseason berth.
Game 1: American International 5, Pace 4
The Setters led from the first inning onward in Saturday's opener, but a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth gave the home team a walkoff 5-4 victory. Third baseman K.J. White tied the game with an RBI single with one away, and then catcher Mike Coyne later knocked in White to give AIC the win.
Pace struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Junior right fielder
Cory Capaldi (Telford, PA/Souderton) knocked in junior center fielder
John Kukura (New City, NY/Clarkstown South) with a single up the middle to bring in the first run. In the next at-bat, junior first baseman
Garrett De Lotto (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) singled in Capaldi to make it 2-0 before the Yellow Jackets got a chance to bat.
Graduate shortstop
Brett Bittiger (Saylorsburg, PA/Pius X) added to Pace's lead in the top of the second, knocking in junior designated hitter
James Wynne (North Salem, NY/North Salem) to make it 3-0 in favor of the Setters. A wacky play in the bottom of the inning allowed two runs to score for the Yellow Jackets. Center fielder Josh Aviles singled up the middle, bringing in the first AIC run. The runner's slide took out senior catcher
Frank Mayo (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley), sending the throw from Kukura to the backstop. This caused another run to come in, getting the home team back within a run.
Mayo opened the fourth with an infield single, and moved over to second on a throwing error. Senior third baseman
Nick LoBello (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) then singled through the right side, leaving runners on the corners for Pace with nobody out. Later on, a wild pitch allowed Mayo to score and moved LoBello to second with one away. With two down, Kukura singled through the left side. LoBello rounded third and took off for home, but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Second baseman Travis Seymour singled with one away in the fifth, and then moved all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Left fielder Tyler Geffert then singled him in, making it a 4-3 game. The score remained the same until AIC rallied in the bottom of the ninth to pick up the win.
AIC starter Colin Sledzik went the complete nine innings, giving up four runs and eight hits to get the win. Sophomore reliever
Anthony Criscione (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) shouldered his first loss of the year after allowing both runs in the ninth. Graduate starter
Tim Deegan (Levittown, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) gave up two earned runs in 4.2 innings. Sophomore reliever
Ryan Aquino (Mamaroneck, NY/Rye Neck) tossed 3.1 innings in relief of Deegan, striking out six batters without giving up a run.
Kukura hit 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in the game. Capaldi knocked in a run and scored another in a 1-for-3 effort. Mayo and Wynne each scored a run in the game, while Bittiger and De Lotto each knocked one in.
AIC was led by White, who hit 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Geffert also had a run scored and an RBI after going 1-for-4. Coyne batted 3-for-5 with an RBI and a double.
Game 2: Pace 6, American International 2
It was AIC that got on the board first in Saturday's nightcap, but the Setters were able to take care of business in the middle innings to secure their 11th division win. First baseman Chris Starcun got things going early for the Yellow Jackets with an RBI single in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 advantage.
LoBello led off the third with a single up the middle, and was then sacrificed to second by sophomore designated hitter
Paul Piccolino (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell). He moved to third on a ground out by Bittiger, and then came around to score on a single by Kukura, tying the game at one run apiece.
Senior starter
Mike Sweeney (Wayne, NJ/DePaul Catholic) found himself in trouble in the bottom of the fourth, as the Yellow Jackets loaded the bases with just one down. He got the next batter to hit a grounder to LoBello at third, who tossed it home to Mayo, and then over to first to De Lotto for a double play to end the inning.
AIC got the first two Setters out to start the top of the sixth. Sophomore left fielder
Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney) then singled to keep the inning going. An error allowed Capaldi to reach base, and moved Gulino over to third. A wild pitch then brought Gulino home to put Pace up, 2-1, and left Capaldi standing on third. Mayo came through with a single to right, scoring Capaldi to make it a 3-1 game.
Mayo came up with another RBI in the top of the eighth, hitting a one-out double to left to bring in Capaldi. A fielding error by the shortstop later in the inning sent Mayo home, leaving the Setters with a 5-1 advantage. Senior second baseman
Andrew Coffey (Greenwich, CT/Old Avon Farms) doubled with one away in the ninth, and later scored on an RBI single by Capaldi to make it 6-1.
White doubled with one out in the bottom of the ninth to get a runner in scoring position for the Yellow Jackets. He moved over to third on a ground out, and then scored on a single up the middle by second baseman Brett Bohl to get back within four. Coyne, the hero of game one for AIC, then flied out to center to end the game.
Sweeney improved to 3-6 on the year after allowing just one run and striking out four batters in a five-inning start to pick up the win. Senior reliever
Michael Forgione (West Harrison, NY/Harrison) tossed the final four innings, giving up just one run to earn his third save of the season. AIC starter Brian Karp gave up three runs (one earned) in six frames to take the loss.
Mayo led Pace with two RBIs, a run and another double in a 2-for-4 effort. Capaldi scored twice and knocked in another after going 2-for-5. Coffey hit a double and scored a run in the game. Kukura went 2-for-5 for the second time on Saturday, adding an RBI.
White went 2-for-4 with a run and a pair of two-baggers for AIC in game two. Bohl and Starcun each hit 1-for-3 with an RBI.
The Setters now await the results from the Saint Rose-New Haven and Le Moyne-Southern Connecticut State series to determine the final standings in the Southwest Division. Pace is scheduled to play next on Tuesday, May 10, in the First Round of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. The results of the other two series will decide if the Setters play once more at Peter X. Finnerty Field, or if they take to the road for their postseason opener.
For all information regarding Pace baseball, log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Athletics on Facebook (
T-Bone, Official Mascot of Pace University Athletics) and Twitter (
@PaceUAthletics), and follow Pace baseball on Instagram (
@PaceBaseball).
