Box Score SHIRLEY, N.Y. (May 13, 2016) - Down 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, the Molloy College baseball team scored two runs without getting a base hit en route to a stunning 3-2 upset of Saint Thomas Aquinas College on Friday (May 13) at the East Coast Conference Baseball Tournament in Shirley, N.Y. The come-from-behind win for the Lions was the 31st victory on the season, tying the program-record for most wins in a single campaign while also eliminating three-time defending champion and top-seeded STAC from the ECC Tournament.
The third-seeded Lions got on the board with a run in the third inning against Spartans starter Sam Vincenzo (St. Clairsville, Ohio). Senior
Deilyn Guzman (East Hampton, N.Y.) smacked a lead-off double down the left-field line, and reached third base on a opposite-field base hit off the bat of junior third baseman
Kevin Podell (Wantagh, N.Y.). With runners on the corners, sophomore designated hitter
Elijah Leerdam (Jamaica, N.Y.) poked a 1-1 pitch into center field for a single; the play scored Guzman and put the Lions up 1-0.
Sophomore starter
Anthony Catinella (Middle Village, N.Y.) cruised through the first four innings, sending six batters down via strikeout. In the fifth, however, the Lions' starting pitcher ran into some trouble. Red-shirt junior infielder Joe Boland (Hyde Park, N.Y.) smacked a lead-off double into left field and shortstop Joseph Pena (Brooklyn, N.Y.) flared an RBI double into right-center field. STAC took a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning as freshman Michael Morgan (Middle Village, N.Y.) singled through the right side of the infield to score pinch runner Andre Jackson (Massapequa, N.Y.) with the go-ahead run.
The Lions were unable to scratch any runs across in the seventh against reliever Scott Hannon (Glendale, N.Y.), but the eighth inning proved fateful and fruitful for the maroon and white. Pinch hitter
Anthony Galanoudis (Farmingdale, N.Y.) led off the frame with a walk, and then freshman
Ryan Hensley (Franklin Square, N.Y.) dropped down a perfect bunt up the first-base line. Hannon attempted to make a bare-handed grab but could not secure the ball as Hensley reached base safely. Sophomore Chris Pennell (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) trotted out of the bullpen for STAC, but his command was not in Shirley as he uncorked a wild pitch before walking Guzman to load the bases. After getting a first-pitch strike on Podell, Pennell missed well high with an 0-1 pitch and Spartans Head Coach Scott Muscat had seen enough. Sophomore Frankie Moscatiello (Rocky Point, N.Y.) was called upon to clean up the mess, but instead he walked Podell to force in the tying run. Then with the bases still loaded, Moscatiello induced ECC Player of the Year
Angelo Navetta (Staten Island, N.Y.) to fly out to right field. Hensley tagged up from third base on the play and beat the throw from Giovanni Dingcong (Daly City, Calif.) to the plate, giving the Lions a 3-2 lead. After
Lucas Burton (Glendale, N.Y.) had tossed a scoreless eighth inning, sophomore closer
Shawn Klotsche (Wantagh, N.Y.) strode to the pitcher's mound with a chance to lock down an all-important victory. Klotsche responded by striking out the side, sending the Spartans packing and keeping the Lions in the mix for the ECC Championship.
The Molloy College baseball team will play an elimination game tomorrow (May 14) at 12 p.m. against the University of Bridgeport. The winner will advance to the ECC Championship Series to face second-seeded Dowling College later in the afternoon.
