NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Pace University baseball team split a conference doubleheader at Southern Connecticut State University Monday, May 1. The Setters won game one 5-2, then dropped game two by a 10-3 final.
Game One: Pace 5, Southern Connecticut State 2
Pace (26-17, 6-10 NE10) took the lead right away in game one, as junior third baseman Anthony Labita (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) connected on a solo home run to get the Setters on the board. The visitors added another run later in the first, when sophomore outfielder Josh Miller (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) picked up an RBI double to score grad student outfielder Luke Jacobi (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens) to extend the lead to two.
Freshman pitcher Robert Gilchrist (New Milford, Conn./North Salem) started on the mound for Pace and pitched into the fourth inning without allowing a hit. However, the Owls (29-11, 12-4 NE10) were able to draw even in the fourth, bringing in a run on a bases-loaded walk and wild pitch to make it a 2-2 game.
The Setters came right back to take the lead in the top of the fifth, as grad student outfielder Mitchell McCabe (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford/ Bridgton Academy) hit his team-leading ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left to put Pace back on top 4-2. Pace added another run in the sixth, when freshman second baseman Benjamin Tullo (Wappinger Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham Senior) doubled to left field to score a run and extend the lead to three.
The Setters didn't allow a hit over the final three innings, and grad student pitcher Michael Roll (Ramsey, N.J./Bergen Catholic High School) went the final 2.2 innings on the hill to get the save as Pace took game one by a 5-2 final.
Game Two: Southern Connecticut State 10, Pace 3
After a combined one hit through the first two innings by both teams, SCSU got the first runs of the game in the bottom of the third. A pair of RBI singles by Billy Sullivan and Mike Ferrett put the home team ahead as they took a 2-0 lead.
Pace responded in the next half inning, putting up three runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead 3-2. A two-out RBI single from senior outfielder Matthew Rinaldi (Scarsdale, N.Y./Eastchester) got the Setters going, followed by sophomore shortstop Mason Baronian (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley) driving a two-run double to left center, scoring Rinaldi and Miller as the visitors jumped in front.
A run-scoring single by Colin Mason tied the game in the last of the fourth, and the Owls took the lead back in the fifth. With two out and the bases loaded, Sullivan brought in a pair with a two-run single, putting SCSU ahead 5-3.
A pair of solo home runs in the fifth and seventh added another two runs for the home team, and a sacrifice fly and run scored on a wild pitch put them ahead 9-3 heading to the eighth. Another home run in the bottom of the eighth provided the final scoring of the day, as Pace couldn't get the bats going over the final five innings and Southern Connecticut State picked up the victory with a 10-3 win in game two.
Up Next
Pace now moves on to the final weekend of the regular season, starting with a doubleheader at the College of Saint Rose Friday, May 5. Game one is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
