COLCHESTER, VT. – On the road Sunday afternoon, Pace baseball traded wins with the Purple Knights of Saint Michael's College. The Setters captured game one by a final score of 4-1, before falling in game two, 7-6.
With the split against their Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference opponent, the Blue and Gold moved to 17-14 overall and 8-7 in the NE10.
Game One
- Opening the day, Vincent Civitella put together a strong outing on the mound in game one. The southpaw pitcher tossed eight scoreless innings against the Purple Knights, helping the Setters jump out to a quick start in Sunday's doubleheader.
- In the fourth inning, two runs crossed the plate behind a Mason Baronian double down the left field line, giving Pace a 2-0 lead before the fifth.
- As Civitella continued to cruise on the bump, the Setters tacked on more runs in the seventh on a fielder's choice to lead by three runs on the road.
- In the ninth, Cristian Rodriguez launched a home run over the right field fence to push the Blue and Gold up by four runs, 4-0. Closing out the contest, Eric Santella earned the save as Pace tallied their 17th win of the season, 4-1.
Game Two
- In game two, the Setters and Purple Knights had a close contest that came down to the wire. Five runs touched home in the first inning as Saint Michael's had a commanding 5-0 lead early on.
- Trailing in the third, the Setters plated two runs on a throwing error from the Purple Knights, making the score 6-2. Following a scoreless fourth, Pace jumped right back into the game with a three-run fifth inning. RBIs from Anthony Labita and Andrew Heppner put the Setters within striking distance with a 6-5 score heading into the sixth.
- Capitalizing on a wild pitch, Pace evened up the score in the sixth as a 6-6 tie moved into the ninth inning. Despite getting a runner on in the ninth, Pace remained at six runs, allowing Saint Michael's a walk-off opportunity in the bottom of the inning. Taking advantage of an errant play from the Setters, the Purple Knights notched a game-winning single to left field to win game two, 7-6.
Box Score Insights
- Brayden Sweppenhiser had a team-high four hits in the twin-bill, going 4-for-8 with one RBI, and one run scored.
- Rodriguez, Labita, Baronian, and Luke Rivara also had multi-hit days with the Setters, totaling 20 base-knocks in the doubleheader.
- Civitella had a productive day, pitching 8.1 innings with seven strikeouts and one earned run allowed.
Up Next (Franklin Pierce University)
As part of a rescheduled game from the weekend, the Setters head to Rindge, N.H. for a twin-bill against Franklin Pierce University. The action begins at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon as the Setters look to earn key victories inside the conference standings.
