PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball team picked up the victory Wednesday afternoon, defeating Dominican University 11-7 at Peter X. Finnerty Field.

Making his first career start, freshman pitcher Brendan McCann (Plainview, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) set down the first two batters, but ran into a little bit of trouble when the following two reached base. But he got a groundout to end the inning, leaving the Chargers (1-11) off the board in the first.

Senior outfielder Matthew Rinaldi (Scarsdale, N.Y./Eastchester) got the Setters (7-1) started with a leadoff double, and grad student outfielder Luke Jacobi (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens) brought him in with a double off the centerfield wall that just missed clearing the fence to put Pace ahead 1-0 after one.

The leadoff batter got on for Dominican in the second, but McCann got a ground ball double play, getting out of the inning unscathed once again. The Setters went down in order in the second, as Brendan Turton struck out the side.

The Chargers got a runner on in the third but got caught stealing to end the inning. A ground-rule double by sophomore shortstop Mason Baronian (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) got Pace going in the third, and he advanced to third on a wild pitch. An RBI groundout by Rinaldi brought him in to extend the lead to two after three innings.

A walk and double had the Chargers in business in the fourth, but a lineout turned into a double play to end the scoring threat as Pace held its 2-0 lead. A one-out double by grad student outfielder Mitchell McCabe (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford/ Bridgton Academy) gave the Setters a runner in scoring position, and grad student Nate Carminucci (Somers, N.Y./North Salem High School) drove him in with an RBI single through the left side to make it 3-0. Sophomore catcher Hunter Goldstein (Jericho, N.Y./Jericho) then drove one to the wall in left-center, extending the lead to four.

The Chargers got a runner to second base with two out in the fifth, but a diving stop by freshman infielder Benjamin Tullo (Wappinger Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham Senior) on a grounder that looked as though it would go for an RBI hit ended the inning with Pace still holding a 4-0 lead.

With a runner on third with two out, McCabe made it 5-0 with an RBI hit to left and came around to score on a wild pitch with two outs. In the top of the sixth, Dominican got two runners on with one out, attempting to get back in the game. An RBI single down the left field line got the visitors their first run of the day, and they loaded the bases with one out. A balk forced in a run, and a two-run single by David Knepper made it a 6-4 game. A double brought in one more and made it a one-run game as the Chargers exploded for five runs in the inning.

Pace looked to respond in the bottom of the sixth, getting runners on first and second with one out. Rinaldi then doubled to right to push the lead back to two, and a sacrifice fly by sophomore outfielder Josh Miller (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) made it 8-5 heading to the seventh.

With a runner on second and nobody out, a pair of groundouts brought the runner and got the Chargers one run closer, cutting the Pace lead to two heading to the home half of the seventh.

With a runner on third with two out, Goldstein doubled down the left field line to make it a three-run game once again, and an RBI single by Baronian made it a 10-6 lead for Pace.

Dominican got one back in the eighth, but Christian Fils-Aime was thrown out at the plate trying for an inside-the-park home run, sending the game to the bottom of the eighth at a 10-7 score. After Miller singled and advanced to third, McCabe brought him in with a sac fly to provide an even bigger cushion for the Setters, sending the game to the final inning with the home team leading 11-7.

In the Chargers' last chance, they loaded the bases with one out in the ninth and got the tying run to the plate. But freshman pitcher Christian Rodriguez picked up a strikeout and flyout to lock down the victory for the Setters, who advanced to 7-1 with the victory.

McCabe went 3-for-4 on the day, driving in two and scoring three runs. Rinaldi and Goldstein both had a pair of hits and had two RBI apiece, and McCann got the win on the mound for Pace. Rodriguez got the save, his first of the year.

Up Next
The Setters now head down to West Palm Beach, Fla. for spring break. Their first game will be Saturday, March 11 against Bentley University at noon.