PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – On a rainy Saturday afternoon at Peter X. Finnerty Field, the Pace University baseball team mounted an impressive comeback against Mercy University, 7-5. The Blue and Gold improve to 3-4 on the season.
Mercy kickstarted the day at the plate, bringing three runs across in the first two innings to give them an early 3-0 lead. Pace answered in the bottom of the third after a Josh Miller sacrifice fly and an Anthony Labita single brought home two runs for the Setters. Heading into the fourth Pace trailed by one run, 3-2.
In the top half of the fifth inning, Mercy would strike again with a two-run homer from Zach Ashline pushing the Mavericks ahead 5-2.
Behind by three runs, the Setters rallied and scored one run in each of the next three innings to tie the game at five moving into the eighth. However, Mercy would put the pressure on Pace loading the bases with one out in the top half of the inning. Brenden McCann would escape the danger after a spectacular 4-6-3 double-play to just beat the runner at first base. The Blue and Gold rode their momentum from the clutch double play into the bottom half of the inning.
After the first two batters flew out to center field, Miller reached base on a passed ball strikeout to jump-start the two-out rally for Pace. Labita delivered again for the Setters knocking a double down the left-field line giving them a one-run advantage, 6-5. The next batter, Matthew Franco lined a fastball to center field to bring home another run, propelling the Setters to a 7-5 lead over Mercy.
In the final inning, Robert Gilchrist came on the mound and shut the door on Mercy, completing the comeback for Pace's third win of the year, 7-5.
Vincent Civitella and McCann each pitched four innings allowing five runs total, only two that were earned. Civitella tallied five strikeouts in his start, while Gilchrist earned the save in the match-up.
Labita continues to produce for the Blue and Gold as the senior went 2-for-4, with two runs batted in and one walk. Six different Setters provided an RBI in the contest, showcasing that the defending Northeast-10 Champions can produce from anywhere in the lineup.
Tomorrow at noon, Pace wraps up their four-game set against Mercy on the road in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
