ALBANY, N.Y. – The Pace University baseball team took one and dropped one on the final day of the regular season, as Pace and the College of Saint Rose split their doubleheader Saturday, May 6. The Setters won game one 10-2, then dropped the second game by a 12-2 final score.
Game One: Pace 10, Saint Rose 2
Pace (29-18, 9-11 NE10) put up three runs in the top of the first to get out to the early lead. With two out and runners on second and third, a Saint Rose error scored the pair to put the first runs of the day on the board. Sophomore catcher Hunter Goldstein (Jericho, N.Y./Jericho) then came up and delivered an RBI single to centerfield, scoring grad student outfielder Luke Jacobi (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens) to make it a 3-0 game.
Sophomore pitcher Vincent Civitella (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) got the start for Pace in game one, and delivered a strong outing, going five innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out seven batters.
The Setters were able to add to their lead in the top of the third, as with two out and a runner on second, Jacobi picked up an RBI single to left to put the visitors ahead by four.
Saint Rose (15-25, 5-14 NE10) was able to get one back in the home half of the third, getting a single and stole base to start the inning, followed by an RBI hit from Nathan Toms to make it a 4-1 score.
After the two teams combined for two hits over the following two innings, Pace broke it open in the sixth. First, back-to-back singles by grad student outfielder Mitchell McCabe (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford/ Bridgton Academy) and Jacobi and a Saint Rose error loaded the bases with nobody out. Sophomore outfielder Josh Miller (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) brought in a run with a fielder's choice, scoring the fifth run of the day for the Setters. Then with two out and runners on second and third, freshman second baseman Benjamin Tullo (Wappinger Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham Senior) brought them in with a two-run single to make it a 7-1 game.
Pace tacked on even more in the seventh, again loading the bases after a single, walk and hit batter. A wild pitch brought in one run, then junior third baseman Anthony Labita (North Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) drove two more in with a triple, extending the lead to 10-1.
The Golden Knights were able to push a run across in the bottom of the inning on a fielder's choice RBI groundout, but Pace took the victory in game one, defeating Saint Rose 10-2 in game one.
Game Two: Saint Rose 12, Pace 2
Freshman pitcher Brendan McCann (Plainview, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) was on the mound in game two for the Setters and ran into a little trouble in the first, as the home team put two runners on with two out. He was able to recover, however, getting a groundout to end the inning.
Pace again took the lead early in game two, as McCabe hit his team-high 10th home run of the season, a solo shot to left field, to put the Setters ahead 1-0. The Setters had a chance to add to their lead in the third, getting runners to first and second with one out, but the next two batters were set down as Pace left a pair stranded.
McCann continued to pitch well into the fifth, allowing just one baserunner between the second and fifth innings as Pace held on to its one-run lead.
With the game heading to the bottom of the sixth still at 1-0, Saint Rose exploded for six runs to jump in front. After a single and hit batter, an RBI single tied the game at one, ending the day for McCann. A sacrifice squeeze play brought in the go-ahead run, then with the bases loaded and two out, Liam Blesi singled in a pair with a two-out, two-run single. An error on the play allowed another run to come in, as all three baserunners scored to make it a 5-1 game. A wild pitch later in the inning scored Blesi, who came in to extend the Golden Knights' lead to five.
Saint Rose got another run across in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk, and Pace was able to add one in the top of the eighth as Labita drove in a run with an RBI single to right. An error by the home team gave the Setters a chance to add even more, as they got runners to first and third, but a groundout ended the inning as the Golden Knights held their five-run lead.
The Golden Knights put it completely out of reach in the last of the eighth, putting up five more runs. Saint Rose got RBI extra-base hits from three different players in the inning and got a two-run double from another as the home team won 12-2 in the second game, giving Pace three of four wins in the two-day doubleheader series.
Up Next
Pace now advances to the NE10 Conference Championships, with their opponent still TBD.
