Staten Island, NY | Mercy College made the most of a host of College of Staten Island miscues in the field, then weathered a feverish rally late in game two, to score 11-4, and 5-4, wins over the Dolphins as part of East Coast Conference play at the CSI Baseball Complex this afternoon.  Mercy moved to 14-7 overall and 12-3 in the ECC with the wins, while CSI fell to 3-14, 3-12, respectively.

GAME ONE 
Like their opening game yesterday, Mercy used a pair of big innings in the 9-inning affair to blow open what was an otherwise evenly-matched game.  CSI starter Frank Gulko and MC starter Ryan Rozinski powered through strong opening innings and then both offenses showed their stuff in the second inning.  MC got off to the game's first lead, as Cain Ruiz powered a two-out single to drive in Charles Lebron, but CSI answered when they loaded the bases with no one out in the second and Bryan Birkhead chased via Angel Santiago via a ground out.  Rozinski squeezed out of the jam from there, and his offense picked him up in the third when Miguel Ortiz Sanchez singled in Nolan Giblin, making it 2-1.

CSI was held off of the scoreboard in the third and fourth and then Mercy topped their biggest inning in the fifth.  A lead off error proved fatal, as all five runs to come across in the fifth did so unearned.  Ortiz Sanchez and Paul Cozzolino each plastered RBI-doubles in the five-hit inning, with Justin Glennerster and Ryan Saltzman each adding RBI-singles.

Gulko was lifted in the sixth, giving way to Nick Vilardi, but after yielding a pair of walks, Ortiz Sanchez scored an RBI-double, and he and Giblin later came around on a two-base passed ball, making it a 10-1 game.  Shendi Ulaj would knock in Michael Crocco in the sixth with a double to make it 10-2, but Mercy got the run back in the eighth, chasing Vilardi for Alexis Santos, who pitched two sterling innings of relief.  CSI made things interesting in the last of the ninth against MC reliever Manuel Sanchez.  Birkhead started with a single and then got to third on a Nick Cippoletti double.  Thomas Marten would single in Birkhead and then Peter Lombardo would sac fly Cippoletti in to make it 11-4 before the Dolphins were retired.

Rozinski picked up the win, tossing seven innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, fanning nine.  Gulko took the loss, going five innings, allowing seven runs (just two earned) on eight hits.  MC out-hit CSI, 11-10, with Ortiz Sanchez going 3-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, adding a walk.  Crocco went 2-2 for CSI with a run plated while Ulaj went 2-4 with an RBI.

GAME TWO
CSI's woes in the field continued, as the Dolphins tallied seven errors in teh second contest, allowing for three unearned runs in the game that would prove to be the difference, spoiling an otherwise solid complete-game by starter Kevin Ryan, as CSI's late rally and comeback effort fell short.  After a scoreless first, the Mavericks grabbed the lead in the second when Glennerster reached via error and then scored on another error that put Saltzman at second base.  He would then score on a Nikko Liguori double before Ryan would settle in time to hold the deficit to just 2-0.

Austin DeRosa would only yield a single hit through three innings, and in the fourth Mercy added to their lead.  A sac fly by Saltzman would run in Glennerster, who singled, was sacrificed to second and advanced to third on a throwing error.  After Liguori reached on an error too, Giblin brought him in on an RBI-single to make it 4-0.

Needing a lift, CSI finally got top DeRosa in their turn of the fourth.  Marten opened with a one-out single and was brought in on an Ulaj RBI-double.  Ulaj would then come in a Mercy error to make it a 4-2 game before DeRosa would record the final out.

After scoreless fifth and sixth innings, the teams went to the final inning.  And there, MC would plate a huge insurance run thanks to a bases loaded wild pitch that would bring in pinch runner Kuzari Jocelyn before Ryan recorded Mercy's final out.  Down to their final three outs, CSI tried to pull off some late heroics.

Reliever Jonathan Diforio would record back-to-back strikeouts to start the frame, but then Marten reached on an infield error, advancing to second base on the play.  Collica would then hit an RBI-double to drive in Marten, and then Ulaj did the same with a single to make it 5-4.  Max Rank would then come in to face Bryan Birkhead, and the game seemed over when Birkhead hit one to second base, but an errant throw kept the rally alive, putting Ulaj at third base in the process.  Up next was Michael Crocco, who would earn a 3-2 count from Rank.  Crocco checked his swing on the payoff pitch but was ruled out on his swing, ending the threat and the game.

Rank earned the save, preserving the win for DeRosa, who improved to 3-1.  Ryan fell to 0-2 with the hard-luck loss.  CSI out-hit Mercy, 8-6, with Ulaj going 2-4 with two RBI.  Glennerster went 2-3 for MC with two runs scored.

Up next for CSI will be a three-game set with D'Youville College on Friday and Saturday of next week at the CSI Baseball Complex.

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GAME VIDEO

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PHOTO GALLERY

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