PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Returning home for the first time in over two weeks, the Pace University baseball team split a doubleheader against the College of Saint Rose on Saturday afternoon. The Setters rebounded from a 7-2 loss in the opener to register an 11-0 triumph in the day's finale. The 1-1 day puts the Blue and Gold at 7-5 against the Southwest Division this season. Â
Inside the Numbers
*The Setters put together 14 hits in their big Game Two win, marking the 12th time that Pace has recorded double-digit hits in a game this season.
*Michael Barbato (Sparkill, NY/Tappan Zee) went 3-for-4 in the finale with an RBI and a run scored.
*Matt Almonte (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle), Michael Salmonese (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick), Michael Gulino (Meriden, CT/Maloney), and Harrison Treble (Oyster Bay, NY/Oyster Bay/St. Bonaventure) all joined in with a pair of hits in Game Two. Gulino finished the day 3-for-9 at the dish with two RBIs and a run scored.
*Paul Piccolino (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) also compiled a nice afternoon, recording two hits, two RBIs, a run scored, and a walk.
*Pace had four pitchers record the shutout in the day's finale. Starter Thomas Ippolito (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) picked up the win, tossing five scoreless innings. Joe Pizzingrillo (Garden City, NY/Chaminade), Bryce Donovan (Amherst, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) and Angus McCloskey (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) combined to put up the final four zeros of the game.
Game Two Recap – Pace 11, Saint Rose 0
After going down in the opener, the Setters responded in a big way in Game Two. Pace racked up 14 hits, while also capitalizing off six Saint Rose errors.
The Blue and Gold scored five runs over the first two innings, highlighted by RBI singles from Barbato and Gulino. Pace would then score runs in four-consecutive innings from the fourth through the seventh, including a three-spot in the fifth.
Harrison Treble (Oyster Bay, NY/Oyster Bay/St. Bonaventure) tripled in a run in the fifth while Almonte posted an RBI single through the left side. Almonte would come around to score on a wild pitch.
Gulino knocked in Pace's final tally in the seventh, plating Riley Iafrate (Harrington Park, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) with a base hit to left field.
Game One Recap – Saint Rose 7, Pace 2
Saint Rose jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first game of the day, scoring a run in the second and another four in the fourth. Brandon Budlong put forth a solid effort on the mound for the Golden Knights, allowing just two runs across seven innings.
Freshman Matt Bass (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) knocked in both of Pace's runs off a single down the right-field line in the fourth. Barbato and Gulino both scored on the play. Gulino reached on a fielder's choice while Barbato hammered a base hit to center.
Although the two runs from Bass was it for the Setters, they did have their chances in the first contest. Pace left two runners on base in both the fourth and the sixth before leaving the bases loaded in the seventh. The Setters would then end the game with runners on the corners. All in all, Pace stranded 11 in the game.
Up Next
The Setters and Golden Knights will play the final game of their three-game set tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Pace will celebrate Senior Day prior to first pitch at Finnerty Field.
