Garden City, N.Y. – The 13
th-ranked Molloy baseball team began its annual three-game series with the Panthers of Adelphi University this afternoon, falling to the home team, 8-7, at William J. Bonomo Field.
How it Happened
- The Lions opened the contest with a keen eye at the plate, drawing five walks in the opening frame to bring in two runs, to take a 2-0 lead.
- The Panthers cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first, 2-1, following a run scoring fielder's choice.
- Molloy padded its lead in the second. Junior Nicholas Dagnello scored redshirt junior Matthew Gonchar with an RBI ground out to extend the lead back to two, 3-1.
- The next three innings turned into a pitcher's duel, as graduate student Charlie Cucchiara and Adelphi reliever Steve Proko kept the contest at bay.
- The home team cracked the Cucchiara code in the bottom of the sixth inning, knotting the contest at three following a two-RBI double.
- Adelphi grabbed the lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the seventh inning following a passed back.
- The cardinal and white's bats connected in the top of the eighth inning. Freshman Joe Burriesci drew a walk with the bases loaded, freshman Charlie Imhof drove a pinch-hit RBI single to score sophomore Sean Welsh, junior JJ DeVito collected an RBI reaching on a fielder's choice, and senior Aidan Larkin knocked in a run following a safety squeeze play to cap a four-run inning to push Molloy in front, 7-4.
- The home team would collect a four-run bottom of the ninth inning, tallying four runs on four hits to complete the come from behind victory, 8-7.
Top Performances
- DeVito, Larkin, and sophomore Sean Serrano collected a hit, a run scored, and an RBI each.
- Dagnello, Yip, Burriesci, and Imhof each drove in a run.
- On the mound, Cucchiara pitched six innings allowing three runs, on six hits and struck out five in the no-decision.
Up Next
Due to the impending weather, the contest between the two squads Saturday (Mar. 2) has been postponed and will be made up in a doubleheader at Adelphi Sunday (Mar. 3). The first game of the twin bill is set to begin at 11:00 a.m.
