Uniondale, N.Y. – The 16
th-ranked Molloy baseball team opened East Coast Conference play this afternoon, splitting a doubleheader with the Saints of D'Youville University. The Lions topped the Saints, 13-6, in game one before falling, 11-5, in game two. Molloy now sits at 15-6 overall and 1-1 in ECC play, while the Saints move to 10-10 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Game One: Molloy 13, D'Youville 6
- The Lions struck in the first inning, with a run scoring off a fielder's choice to go ahead, 1-0.
- D'Youville tied the contest at one in the top of the second following an RBI single.
- Molloy regained its lead in the bottom of the frame, 2-1, with a run crossing the plate because of an error.
- Two innings would go by before the road team would bring the contest back to all square, 2-2, in the top of the fifth.
- The Lions used a three-run fifth inning to take a 5-2 lead. Senior Matt Yip lead off the inning with a home run, junior Patrick Sanchez recorded an RBI single, senior Aidan Larkin walked home a run to cap the inning.
- The cardinal and white would plate one run in the sixth inning before hanging six runs in the bottom of the seventh. Junior JJ DeVito drove in a run with a opposite field single, senior Gavin McAlonie knocked in a pair with a single, and senior Anthony Manisero polished off the inning with a three-run home run to give the Lions a commanding, 12-2, lead.
- D'Youville would score four runs in the eighth to cut the deficit in half, 12-6, but Molloy would plate a run in the bottom of the frame and go on to win the contest, 13-6.
- Graduate student Charlie Cucchiara pitched seven innings allowing two runs on eight hits and struck out four to improve to 5-0 on the season.
- Manisero and McAlonie collected three hits apiece with Manisero leading with four RBI while McAlonie drove in three.
Game One: Molloy 5, D'Youville 11
- After two innings of scoreless baseball, D'Youville exploded for a seven-run top of the third on the back of three run scoring singles and a pair of run scoring doubles to take a 7-0 lead.
- Molloy responded in the fourth to begin its comeback, rallying to five runs to cut the deficit to two, 7-5. Freshman Anthony Marsillo kicked off the scoring with an RBI single through the right side, freshman Charlie Imhof delivered a pinch-hit RBI single, DeVito plated a run with a single, and the inning was capped off with two runs scoring off an error.
- The Saints would score four unanswered runs in the final two innings and go on to close out the game two win, 11-5.
Up Next
Molloy will conclude its series with the Saints Sunday (Mar. 24) with another doubleheader at Mitchel Field. The first pitch from Uniondale is set for 11:00 a.m.
