Mount Saint Mary College

PURCHASE, N.Y. – Needing a pair of victories to clinch third place in the Skyline Conference standings, the Mount Saint Mary College baseball team came through with wins in game one (9-5) and game two (8-5). The Knights improved to 12-18 overall (10-6 Skyline).

In game one, senior Frank Snyder (Wallkill, N.Y.) pitched seven innings to claim the victory for the Knights. Snyder allowed seven hits and three earned runs, leaving the game with a 9-3 advantage. Sophomore Ben Shortslef (Sterling, N.Y.) got the Knights out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning to earn the save.

With the game tied at three in the seventh inning, freshman Matt Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y.) scored on an error to give the Mount the lead. The next batter, sophomore John Conroy (Middletown, N.Y.), laced an RBI-single to score sophomore Max Tecce (Glen Cove, N.Y.).

Mount Saint Mary started off the eighth inning with five consecutive hits, including a run-scoring single from freshman Michael Matuk (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and a two-run single by Prescia. Later in the inning, junior Louis Peisel (Brewster, N.Y.) plated Prescia with a single to make it 9-3.

Conroy finished the opener 4-for-5 with two runs batted in. Prescia went 2-for-6 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs, while Peisel batted 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.

In game two, the Mount rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth inning and Shortslef pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the 8-5 win. Freshman Joe CoFrancesco (Hamden, Conn.) pitched three and a third scoreless innings in relief to claim the victory. The rookie allowed just one hit while striking out three.

With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, junior Billy Casey (Marlboro, N.Y.) singled to drive home a pair of runs. Up next, Tecce grounded into a fielder’s choice, but the relay throw from second was off the mark, allowing Prescia to score the third run of the inning.

Casey was 3-for-4 with four runs batted in during the second game. In addition to the two-run single in the ninth, the junior had a run-scoring single in the first and an RBI-double in the seventh. Matuk also recorded multiple hits for the Knights (2-for-4) and scored a pair of runs.

Mount Saint Mary qualifies as the third seed in the Skyline Conference tournament and will host Maritime College in a single-elimination game on Wednesday. The start time is set for 2:00 p.m. at Delano-Hitch Stadium in Newburgh.