PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball team dropped a matchup with No. 14 ranked East Stroudsburg University Tuesday, April 11, falling by a final of 11-6 at home.
The No. 14 ranked Warriors (29-5) got on the board in the opening inning, getting a leadoff double from Ben Piripavel, who came in to score on a fielder's choice to put the visitors in front. The Setters (20-7, 4-4 NE10) got a runner to third in the home half but left him stranded as ESU took a 1-0 lead to the second.
A strikeout-throw out double play and a nice diving catch by grad student outfielder Luke Jacobi (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens) helped Pace get out of the second, but the home team couldn't even the score in their turn at bat.
East Stroudsburg added to its lead in the third, as Jeremy Piakiewicz led off the inning with a solo home run to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead. A two-out RBI double by Jack Rothenhausler extended the lead to three as the Warriors continued to tack on.
The Setters picked up a pair of singles to start off the bottom of the third as they looked to get back in the game. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and a Warriors error brought in the first run of the day for Pace. However, with runners on the corners and one out, East Stroudsburg was able to turn a double play to limit the Setters to one run.
Neither team got a run across in the fourth, but the Warriors added on in the fifth. An RBI single by Cameron Hubbard pushed the lead back to three, and Rothenhausler added an RBI hit of his own to make it a 5-1 game.
A single and a pair of walks loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the inning, bringing junior third baseman Anthony Labita (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) to the plate. The junior turned on a 2-2 pitch and launched one over the right-centerfield wall for a grand slam to tie the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the sixth, Pace took its first lead of the day courtesy of the long ball once again. Senior outfielder Matthew Rinaldi (Scarsdale, N.Y./Eastchester) led off the inning and put one over the right field wall to give Pace a 6-5 lead.
With runners on the corners with nobody out, a wild pitch brought the tying run in during the top of the seventh. An RBI single by Matt Ervolina gave the Warriors the lead back, and the visitors then loaded the bases with one out. Piakiewicz then came to the plate and drove a three-run triple down the right field line, extending East Stroudsburg's lead to 10-6 as they scored five in the inning.
The Warriors added one in the eighth on an RBI single, and despite an RBI single by freshman outfielder Justin Crispino (Commack, N.Y./Commack) in the ninth, the No. 14 team in the country took an 11-7 win.
Up Next
Pace is right back at it tomorrow, Wednesday April 11 for a 3 p.m. road matchup at the University of Bridgeport.
