HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 26, 2011) – The College of Mount Saint Vincent baseball team scored five runs in the top half of the ninth inning to overcome a 4-2 deficit to down Stevens Institute of Technology, 7-5, at Dobbelaar Baseball Field on Saturday evening. Senior right fielder Russ Grimes led the Ducks, going 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs batted in, while junior shortstop Corey Linden went 3-for-5 with two RBI's.
Stevens (0-2) struck first with a run in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore center fielder Corey Stryker walked with one out, stole second, and Linden followed with a run-scoring single to center to put the Ducks up 1-0.
The Dolphins (1-1) answered with two runs in the top half of the fourth inning but Stevens starter Tyler Courter was able to strand three runners on base to limit the damage and keep the Ducks within one (2-1).
The 2-1 score would hold until the bottom of seventh inning when the Ducks put up a three-spot to take a 4-2 lead. Prior to that three-run seventh inning, the Stevens pitching staff was able to strand six Mount Saint Vincent runners on base, including three in the top of the seventh. Senior right hander Kyle Hanas came on in relief of Courter in the sixth, and after a relatively easy inning, found himself in big trouble after a leadoff walk and a hit batsmen. Senior James Labartino (Holbrook, N.Y.) delivered a sacrifice bunt to put runners on second and third with one out and after another walk, the sacs were full, but Hanas induced a 1-to-2 force play and a strikeout to close out the inning.
The Stevens seventh started with a single from sophomore Michael Donovan and after a fly out, Dolphin starter Anthony Mogelli (Flushing, N.Y.) was replaced by sophomore lefty James Puma (Thornwood, N.Y.). That move would bite MSV as Puma gave up a walk and a single off the right field wall to junior second baseman Tom Phillips to load the bases. Linden delivered a single deep in the hole between shortstop and third base to tie the score at two-all, and Puma was able to get a fielder's choice on the next at-bat. However, Grimes was next and came up huge with a two-out, two-run single to center to give the Ducks a 4-2 lead.
Stevens held the lead until the ninth but a walk, a single from junior Christian Lavery (Westbury, N.Y.), and another single, this one from Labartino, quickly made it 4-3 Stevens with nobody out. After a hit batter, the bases were loaded with none out and the Dolphins were able to knot the game at four with a sac fly off the bat of senior Mike Pope (Massapequa, N.J.). Two consecutive singles with the bases loaded meant three more runs for the Dolphins as they handed freshman Brian Rush (Lindenhurst, N.J.) a 7-4 lead heading into the bottom the ninth.
Despite giving up the lead the Ducks did not quit, tallying four hits and one run in the ninth, but they were unable to overcome two outs on the base paths and eventually took the 7-5 loss.
Courter went the first five innings for the Ducks, giving up two runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked two. Hanas gave up just one hit in three scoreless innings of relief. Junior Vincent Vinci took the loss, giving up five runs and three hits in just one-third of an inning. Sophomore Craig Leopold went two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit.
Stevens notched 12 hits on the day as Phillips, Grimes, and Linden all tallied more than one.
Labartino, senior John McManus (Queens, N.Y.), junior Mark Sargente (Happauge, N.Y.), and senior Fernando Suriel (Yonkers, N.Y.) all had two hits for the Dolphins. Suriel also had two runs batted in.
Rush earned the win on the mound. He went two innings, allowing four hits and one run. Mongelli went 6.1 innings, giving up five hits and two runs. He struck out five and walked two.
Stevens will return to action on Sunday at Dobbelaar Field when it hosts Mount Saint Mary College at 12 p.m.
