ALBANY, N.Y. – Beginning a three-game series in Albany, the Pace University baseball team put together a doubleheader sweep against the College of Saint Rose on Saturday. The Setters, who have now won seven of their last eight games, are 21-10 overall this season (10-6, NE10).

Game One Recap – Pace 6, Saint Rose 0

Senior Dan Wirchansky (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland/RCC) was up to his usual dominance for Pace on the mound in opener. The left-hander struck out 11 across seven shutout innings. He is now 3-1 this season, with 65 strikeouts and a 1.31 ERA.

Classmate Lorenzo Russo (East Northport, NY/Commack) put the final touches on the win by tossing two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Pace's bats helped out the Setter staff with six runs on eight hits. The Blue and Gold plated a pair of runs in each of the first, third and fifth innings.

Michael Salmonese (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) and Luke Jacobi (Edison, NJ/JP Stevens), Pace's top hitters this season, each finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

Dean DePreta (Stamford, CT/Westhill High School) drove in a team-high three runs off a two-run single in the third and a sac fly in the fifth.

Michael Barbato (Sparkill, NY/Tappan Zee) and Alex Pia (Guilford, CT/Xavier) also notched RBI hits in the Game One win.

Game Two Recap – Pace 5, Saint Rose 4 (11 innings)

Pace and Saint Rose traded a pair of leads in the finale before the contest eventually went into extra innings. The Setters' game-winning run came in the 11^th when freshman Rafael Figuereo (Fishkill, NY/John Jay East Fishkill High School) was hit by pitch with the bases loaded to score Barbato from third.

Freshman pitcher Michael Roll (Ramsey, NJ/Bergen Catholic High School) closed the door on the Golden Knights by striking out the side in the bottom half of the 11^th.

Sophomore Angus McCloskey (Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale) served as the winning pitcher for Pace, allowing just one earned run in three innings of relief.

After the Setters took a 4-3 edge in the fifth, a solo home run from Saint Rose's Jon Montesanti in the eighth inning evened the score up.

Jacobi followed up his strong first game with a two-run single in the third inning that put Pace ahead 2-1.

A pair of freshmen lifted the Setters to their second lead of the game in the fifth. A Justin Scotto (Tinton Falls, NJ/Monmouth Regional High School) sac fly tied the game at 3-3, while Figuereo knocked an RBI single to gain the one-run edge.  

Up Next
The Setters and Golden Knights will finish their series tomorrow with a single contest at 11 a.m.