Molloy University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Apr. 10, 2016) - After falling in an 11-inning marathon affair in the first game of a Sunday (Apr. 10) doubleheader, the Molloy College baseball team defeated the University of Bridgeport in a 6-3 seven-inning win to earn a split with the season series with the Purple Knights at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard. Molloy is now 20-9 on the season and 5-3 in ECC play and Bridgeport is now 15-10-1 overall with an 8-4 record in conference competition.

Game One: Bridgeport 9, Molloy 8 - 11 Innings
The Purple Knights opened the scoring in the second inning as Daren Grabowski (Berlin, Conn.) drove in the first run with an RBI single while Ben Torres (Hollywood, Fla.) hit a run-scoring grounder off of sophomore starter Anthony Catinella (Middle Village, N.Y.). The maroon and white then struck in the fourth for three runs on an error, a sacrifice fly by Michael Rahn (Sayville, N.Y.) and an RBI single from Nicholas Gonchar (Staten Island, N.Y.) to take a 3-2 lead. After Torres tied the game up in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double, the Lions re-took the lead with a fifth-inning single from Angelo Navetta (Staten Island, N.Y.) and a run-scoring fielder's choice by Rahn. In the bottom of the fifth though, Bridgeport came back to tie the score at five-all on a run-scoring triple by Justin Carey (Amherst, Mass.) and a bunt single from Grabowski.

The game would stay tied at five-all through the end of the ninth inning and so extra innings would decide the contest. In the tenth, Molloy scored three unearned runs off of Dakota Edwards (Turlock, Calif.) as UB committed three errors that coupled with a sacrifice fly from Kevin Podell (Wantagh, N.Y.) and a single from Rahn to grab an 8-5 lead. The hosts would tie the game with a two-out rally against the Lions' bullpen as Casey McCone (Milford, Conn.) struck for an RBI single and Alec Jannotta (Branford, Conn.) hit a two-run double to tie the score. Then in the 11th, UB put runners on base via a walk and a hit batter and a two-out wild pitch sent Carey scrambling home with a run and a walk-off victory.

Navetta had three hits in the Lions' loss as four other players completed multi-hit performances. Rahn had three runs batted in while Catinella struck out seven in only 4.1 innings pitched in the start.

Game Two: Molloy 6, Bridgeport 3
Bridgeport starter Anthony Alicki (Milford, Conn.) did not get an out in the first inning as Molloy roughed him up for four runs in the opening frame. Three walks and a two-run single by Navetta forced Alicki from the contest and the maroon and white got three more runs in the frame off of Denis Lyman (Kingston, N.Y.) with a two-run single by Gonchar finishing the inning off. The scoring continued in the second as Podell reached on an error and scored a run to put Molloy ahead 6-0, but Bridgeport answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. That was it for the scoring as Seth Noreman (Old Bethpage, N.Y.) pitched five solid innings while allowing three runs on 11 hits and picked up the win. Junior Kevin Hiss (Merrick, N.Y.) tossed two one-hit innings and earned his first save in the victory. Gonchar had two hits in the win and the senior drove in two runs as well; Navetta also had two RBI for Molloy.

The maroon and white will play a four-game set against Queens (N.Y.) with the opening game of the series on Friday (Apr. 15) at 3:30 p.m. at Mitchel Field.