Box Score BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Mar. 24, 2016) - Down 2-0 heading to the top of the sixth inning, the Molloy College baseball team tagged reigning East Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) for three runs in the sixth inning and two runs in the eighth to prevail by a final margin of 5-2 over LIU Post on Thursday (Mar. 24) in Brookville. The game was the conference opener for both teams and the first in a four-game series between the Lions and the Pioneers. Additionally, the win for Molloy came over the No. 10-ranked team in the NCBWA East Region in LIU Post with the Lions ranking fourth in the regional tally
Molloy (12-6, 1-0 ECC) nearly put a run on the scoreboard in the first inning against DeCarli. After
Anthony Alberghina (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit a one-out single, sophomore
Angelo Navetta (Staten Island, N.Y.) roped a double to left field with two outs in the frame. Alberghina advanced to third base and was waved home but was thrown out at the plate on a relay from shortstop Joe Spitaleri (Levittown, N.Y.) to catcher Thomas Asbaty (Randolph, N.J.) for the final out of the inning. Then in the bottom of the frame, LIU Post (8-9, 0-1 ECC) loaded the bases on three walks but junior pitcher
Ronald Bauer (Hicksville, N.Y.) also struck out three batters in the frame to keep the green and gold off the board.
The Pioneers would break open the seal on the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. After an Asbaty walk and a stolen base, Kenny Daley (Glenwood Landing, N.Y.) reached on a fielding error to advance his teammate to third. Daley would steal second base and then score on a two-run single by freshman Joe Piscitelli (Levittown, N.Y.) to give LIU Post a 2-0 lead. DeCarli handled affairs convincingly in the fifth inning but ran into trouble in the sixth. Leadoff batter
Deilyn Guzman (East Hampton, N.Y.) led off the stanza with a single and a stolen base and he advanced to third on a hit by
Kevin Podell (Wantagh, N.Y.). Back-to-back singles by Navetta and
Michael Rahn (Sayville, N.Y.) knotted up the score at two-all and the Lions nosed ahead on an RBI groundout by
Anthony Galanoudis (Farmingdale, N.Y.).
The Lions bounced DeCarli from the game in the eighth inning after the junior starter allowed Navetta to collect a single and Rahn to wallop a double to left field. Red-shirt freshman Robert Paccione (Commack, N.Y.) emerged from the bullpen and induced Galanoudis to ground into a fielder's choice with the bases loaded for the first out of the inning. After Paccione got ahead 0-and-2 in the count to the next batter, sophomore outfielder
Elijah Leerdam (Jamaica, N.Y.) pulled a grounder through the left side of the infield to bring home two more runs and put the Lions ahead by a 5-2 score. Freshman
Timothy Panetta (Broad Channel, N.Y.)---who had relieved Bauer in the bottom of the sixth inning---held back LIU Post in the eighth inning and Guzman blazed through a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save and the victory.
The maroon and white battered LIU Post for 15 hits (11 off of DeCarli), with Navetta going 4-for-5 in the win. Guzman had a three-hit game while Alberghina, Podell and Rahn each had two hits. Bauer picked up the win, going five innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits. The junior did issue four free passes to Pioneers hitters but also struck out five. Panetta pitched three innings of one-hit relief with two strikeouts and Guzman earned his third save by pitching a perfect final frame. LIU Post only managed four hits in the loss, and DeCarli fell to 1-4 on the season after pitching seven-plus innings and allowing five runs on 11 hits while striking out three.
Molloy will continue the four-game set on Saturday (Mar. 26) when LIU Post comes to Mitchel Field for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
