PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Pace University Baseball split a Northeast 10 doubleheader against Franklin Pierce University on Saturday, falling 4–1 in game one before rallying for a 6–5 victory in game two. The Blue and Gold used a late-inning surge to salvage the split, moving to 9–9 overall and 3–3 in the Northeast 10 Conference.
Game One (7 innings)
The Ravens jumped out early in the opener, scoring two runs in the first inning and adding another in the second to take a 3–0 lead. Pace struggled to find consistent offense, managing just three hits through the contest.
The Blue and Gold broke through in the fifth inning.
Cristian Rodriguez came around to score on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit to 3–1. However, Franklin Pierce answered in the bottom half of the inning to push the lead back to 4–1.
Pace threatened in the sixth inning with hits from
Anthony Depetro and
George Provel, but could not capitalize, leaving runners on base. The Blue and Gold were retired in order in the seventh as Franklin Pierce closed out the 4–1 victory.
Game Two
The second game saw a much different script, with Baseball mounting a late comeback to secure the split. Franklin Pierce again struck first, scoring in four of the first five innings to build a 5–1 advantage.
Pace chipped away in the seventh inning.
Brian White worked a walk and moved into scoring position before
Rocco Cimino brought him home with an RBI groundout. Moments later, Rodriguez drove in another run to cut the deficit to 5–3.
Trailing 5–3 entering the ninth, the Blue and Gold delivered their biggest push of the day. White singled to start the rally before
Benjamin Tullo followed with a base hit. Rodriguez then doubled to bring home a run, trimming the deficit to 5–4.
Brayden Sweppenhiser came through in the clutch with a two-run single, giving the Setters a 6–5 lead.
On the mound,
Dominic Carleo was outstanding in relief, tossing three innings and allowing just one unearned run while striking out three to earn the win and close out the comeback.
Rodriguez and Sweppenhiser each recorded two hits and two RBIs, while Tullo added a multi-hit performance as the Blue and Gold finished with 13 hits in the victory.
Baseball returns home to continue Northeast 10 play, hosting Bentley University for a four-game set beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Friday.
