Blue Knights Take Two From St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn

NEWBURGH – The Mount Saint Mary College Baseball team opened Skyline Conference play Saturday afternoon with a pair of victories over St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, posting a 3-0 win in the opener and a 6-5 walk-off triumph in game two. Jack Goodwin drove in a pair of runs in the game two victory.

Saturday’s sweep gets Mount Saint Mary to the .500 mark overall at 6-6 and it opens Skyline Conference play at 2-0. The Bears fall to 2-9 overall and to 0-2 in league action.

Game 1: Mount Saint Mary 3 – St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn 0
Mount Saint Mary got on the board with the only run it would need in the home half of the second inning. Liam Merlin laced a one-out double to get a runner in the scoring position and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Devin Tait.

The Knights added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth to close out the scoring in the game. Robert Brust doubled home Tait for the first run of the inning and later scored on a fielder’s choice to give the Knights the final 3-0 advantage.

The Knights ripped five doubles in the contest and outhit the Bears 7-3 in the contest.

For The Knights
Merlin closed the opener 2-for-3 with double and a run scored.

Ben Crowley, Goodwin, Brust and Coleman Barnes all hit doubles for the Knights.

Brust and Tait each scored a run and drove in one.

Mike Scotto picked up the win on the mound with 5.0 strong innings of work. He allowed only three hits and struck out four.

Michael Di Tullio worked a scoreless inning of relief, striking out one.

Michael DiGiovanni notched his second save of the season with a scoreless seventh, fanning one.

Game 2: Mount Saint Mary 6 – St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn 5
Mount Saint Mary scored in just two innings, plating three runs in the fifth and the final three runs of the game in the ninth.

After the Bears jumped in front 2-0 in the top of the fifth, the Knights came right back with three tallies in the home half of the frame to take a 3-2 lead.

Brust led-off the inning with a double and after moving to third on a fielder’s choice came home on a sacrifice fly from Goodwin to get the Knights on the board.

Dominick Marzigliano doubled home Cullen Roper to tie the score at 2-2 before Marzigliano stole third and scored on a throwing error to give the Mount its first lead of the game.

Mount Saint Mary maintained the slim lead until the eighth when the Bears plated two runs to move back in front 4-2.

The Bears added a run in the top of the ninth on a Chris Leary base hit to improve its advantage to 5-3.

Trailing by two in its final at-bat, the Mount put the first three runners on base. Brust ripped a double to start the inning and moved to third on a Crowley infield single.

Brandon Nolasco delivered Brust with a ringing double to right before Goodwin pushed across the tying run with another sacrifice fly.

After an intentional walk to Marzigliano put runners at first and third, Adam Leone forced home the winning run with a groundball to second base to give the Knights the sweep.

For The Knights
Mount Saint Mary hit five more doubles in game two, with Brust going 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored.

Nolasco finished 2-for-5 with a double, run scored and an RBI.

Marzigliano added a double, run and RBI.

Goodwin went 1-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBI.

Brian Gregory made the start and worked 5.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out two in a no decision.

John Morehead picked up the win in relief, moving to 2-0 on the season.