PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – On Friday afternoon, Pace University Baseball opened its home schedule in dominant fashion, sweeping a doubleheader against Mercy University at Peter X. Finnerty Field with a 3–0 victory in game one followed by a 12–2 win in the nightcap. After beginning the season with four games on the road during a southern trip, the Setters returned to Pleasantville for their home opener and delivered a complete performance behind strong pitching and offense. With the pair of seven-inning victories, Pace improved to 2–4 overall as the spring season continues to ramp up.
Game One (7 innings)
The Blue and Gold struck quickly in the opener and relied on a dominant pitching performance to secure the shutout victory.
Pace wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as
Rocco Cimino launched a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Setters a 1–0 lead. The offense continued to apply pressure in the second inning when
Manny Carreras singled and
Benjamin Tullo followed with a base hit to put runners in scoring position.
George Provel lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to bring Carreras home before
Justin Crispino added an RBI single later in the frame, extending the Pace advantage to 3–0.
From there, the afternoon belonged to
Aidan Kempf. The right-hander delivered a complete-game shutout for the Setters, scattering five hits across seven innings while striking out 10 Mercy batters. Kempf consistently kept the Mavericks off balance and worked out of the few scoring opportunities Mercy created, allowing the Blue and Gold to maintain control through the final inning.
Game Two (7 innings)
The momentum carried into game two as Pace broke the game open with a massive third inning that turned a tight contest into a runaway victory.
The Setters first grabbed the lead in the second inning when
Anthony Depetro came around to score after
Manny Carreras reached on an error, putting Pace ahead 1–0. The Mavericks answered in the top of the third to even the score at 1–1, but the Blue and Gold responded immediately in the bottom half with their biggest offensive outburst of the young season.
The rally began with runners reaching base before
Anthony Depetro delivered a two-run double to center field to give Pace a 4–1 lead. Carreras followed with an RBI single to push the advantage to 5–1, and moments later
Justin Crispino delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon, blasting a grand slam to extend the lead to 9–1. Not long after,
Rocco Cimino added to the surge with a solo home run as the Setters plated nine runs in the inning to seize full control of the game.
Pace continued to apply pressure in the fifth inning when
Nick Carlucci lined a two-run double down the right-field line, bringing home Cimino and
Pierce Cowles to extend the lead to 12–1. Mercy added a run in the sixth, but the outcome remained firmly in the Setters' control.
On the mound,
Cristian Rodriguez earned the win after four strong innings, allowing just one earned run while keeping the Mavericks from building any momentum.
Ryan Degnan followed with three solid innings out of the bullpen to close out the victory for the Blue and Gold.
Depetro led the Pace offense in game two with three hits and two RBIs, while Crispino drove in four runs with his grand slam. Cimino added two hits, including a home run, and Carlucci finished with two RBIs in the victory.
Pace baseball returns to action on Sunday, traveling to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., for another doubleheader against Mercy University beginning at 12:00 p.m.
