The Mount Splits Skyline Doubleheader

By Steven Merritt

NEWBURGH – The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team took a split in a Skyline Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon against the College of Mount Saint Vincent. The Knights won a 6-2 contest in game one and then dropped game two 11-1.

Mount Saint Mary 6 – Mount Saint Vincent 2
The Knights scored first after Nick Rizzo doubled down the left field line with two outs in the first inning. Matt Barbieri followed it up with a single to left field to plate Rizzo for the first run of the game.

The Mount hung a crooked number in the sixth as Barbieri led off the inning with a walk. After a Michael DiGiovanni sacrifice bunt, Jack Goodwin laid down a bunt and reached on a fielder’s choice. Barbieri scored on a throwing error on the same play and Joe Stewart proceeded to drive in Goodwin with a single to left center. After singles from Robert Brust and Anthony Rizzo, Steven Mirra knocked in a run with a RBI groundout to give the Knights a 4-0 lead.

The Knights added a fifth run in the seventh inning as N. Rizzo scored on a wild pitch after leading off the inning with a single. The Dolphins got on the board for the first time in the eighth after they loaded the bases with three straight singles. Nick Saranczak drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Zachary Saunders drew a bases loaded walk. Alexander Maher entered with the bases loaded and one out and got a infield fly and a groundout to end the threat.

The Knights added an insurance run in the eighth on a RBI single by John Santana. Mount Saint Vincent got the tying run to the on-deck circle after two singles but Nick Zestanakis got a strikeout to end the threat in the ninth.

N. Rizzo, Barbieri, Stewart each had two hits while N. Rizzo had two runs scored. Christian Spano earned the win after going 7.0+ innings, allowing eight hits and two runs.

Michael Grisanti had three hits while Anthony Nocero and Matt DiNorcia each had two hits. Amir Nitowski took the loss for the Dolphins as he threw 7.0 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits.

Mount Saint Vincent 11 – Mount Saint Mary 1
The Dolphins jumped on top first and never looked back in game two as Grisanti doubled home two runs in the first inning. Saunders doubled home Matt Albert in the second inning to push the lead to 3-0.

The Knights only run came in the second inning when Stewart drove in Barbieri with a sacrifice fly to right field. Mount Saint Vincent put up three runs in the fourth after Jake Blinstrub had a RBI triple and Isodoros Bartziokas and Nocero each had RBI doubles.

Eric Zimmerman homered in the fifth to drive in two runs and Grisanti and DiNorcia homered back-to-back in the sixth inning to give the Dolphins an 11-1 lead.

Barbieri had a hit and a run scored while Stewart had the lone run batted in. Sal Rizzo took the loss as he allowed six runs and nine hits over four innings of work.

Grisanti finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and Bartziokas had four runs scored for Mount Saint Vincent. Peter Sanderson picked up the win with a complete game, allowing one run over five hits in seven innings of work.