MSMC Splits Set With Mount Saint Vincent

WAPPINGERS FALLS – The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team stopped a five game skid on Monday with a 15-2 win over the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the opener of a Skyline Conference doubleheader, but dropped the backend of the set to the Dolphins, 9-7. Christopher Ruggiero did not allow an earned run in the game one win and Tom Huvane tripled in both contests for the Knights.

Game 1: Mount Saint Mary 15 – Mount Saint Vincent 2

The Knights finished the opener with season-highs in runs (15), RBI (14) and doubles (3) and Ruggiero allowed the Dolphins just three hits on the way to his second win of the season. Ruggiero allowed only a two-out double in the third, before the Dolphins singled twice, including a run scoring base hit from Zachary Saunders, in the seventh.

Ruggiero finished off his second complete game of the season, allowing three hits, no earned runs and seven strikeouts against two walks. He leads the Dolphins with 40.2 innings pitched with his 7.0 on Monday and 33 strikeouts.

The Knights got off to a quick start in game one, plating three runs in each of their first two at-bats. Christopher Introcaso doubled home two runs in the home half of the first inning and Nick Rizzo plated a pair of runs in the second with a double to left field.

Mount Saint Mary expanded its lead to 8-1 in the third with two runs keyed by an RBI triple from Huvane and a run scoring single from Kevin Edgar and broke the game open with three runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth. Edgar sparked the big sixth inning with a two-run triple and Michael Doxey plated Edgar with a double in the inning.

Five Knights finished game one with at least two hits, led by a 3-for-4 effort from Edgar who added two runs and three RBI. Rizzo finished up 2-for-3 with a double to go along with two runs and three RBI, while Huvane went 2-for-2 with three runs and a pair driven in. Doxey collected two hits, scored a run and drove one in and Joey Pugliese posted a pair of hits, two runs and an RBI for the Knights.

Game 2: Mount Saint Vincent 9 – Mount Saint Mary 7

The Knights carried their momentum into game two and opened a 5-0 lead after two innings over the Dolphins. The Knights scored three times in their first at-bat, with Introcaso driving in a run with a single and Vincenzo Pepe plating a run with a groundout before Nicholas Terzulli scored on a wild pitch.

The Mount expanded its lead by two runs in the second when Introcaso tripled home a pair of runs with two runs in the inning.

Mount Saint Vincent answered with six runs in the third to take its first lead of the game and moved in front 7-5 in in the fourth after Matt Nesensohn led off with a triple and scored on a James Valenti single. The Dolphins took advantage of four hits in the big third frame, including two run doubles from Kyle Tamburi and Honrio Pena.

Trailing by two runs heading to the bottom of the fourth, the Knights got a run back in the inning and knotted the score at 7-7 in the fifth. John Santana drove in Rizzo with a pop to short that fell in to get the Mount to within a run and Doxey singled through the middle in the fifth to deliver Huvane who ripped his second triple of the day.

With the game tied at 7-7 in the seventh, the Dolphins broke through with two runs on four hits. Michael Kochen drove in the eventual game winning run with a single and Luis Castillo added a single to drive in Saunders with an insurance run.

The Knights got the leadoff man on in the seventh when Huvane was hit with a pitch, but Mount Saint Vincent reliever Siddeeq Ali got a double play ground ball and a popup to thwart the rally for the Knights.

The Knights pounded out 12 more hits in game two, with Santana going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Introcaso finished 2-for-3 with a run and three driven in, with Rizzo and Huvane each finishing with a pair of hits. Rizzo scored twice and stole a base for the Knights in game two.

Mount Saint Vincent was led by a 3-for-4 effort with a run and an RBI from Kochen with Nesensohn scoring twice. Tamburi added a hit, run and two RBI for the Dolphins.

Jake Stewart suffered the loss in relief for the Knights with 3.2 innings of work, allowing three runs on seven hits. Ryan Hayes made the start for the Knights and allowed six runs on five hits in 3.0 innings.

Ali picked up his second win of the season for the Dolphins with 2.2 innings of work out of the bullpen. He did not allow a hit and walked one.

Monday’s split moves Mount Saint Mary to 5-21 overall on the season and to 3-7 in league play.