NEWBURGH, NY - After pounding out 65 hits and scoring 60 runs in two games on Sunday, the Mount Saint Mary College baseball team managed just five hits and two runs in a 9-2 non-conference loss to the Stevens Institute of Technology on Monday evening. The Blue Knights dropped to 27-10 while the Ducks bumped up to 18-17.
Sophomore Jeff Hart (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) went the distance for the Ducks, allowing just five hits and one earned run. The win was his second of the season.
Stevens took full advantage of two Mount Saint Mary errors in the third inning to score the game’s first runs. With one out and runners at first and second, sophomore Denis Ackerman (Rutherford, N.J.) grounded a ball to second base that could have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, the ball skipped off the second baseman’s glove and into the outfield, allowing freshman Tom Phillips (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) to score from second. Ackerman stole second and a throwing error by the catcher allowed junior Anthony Andrews (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) to score from third to make it 2-0.
In the fourth, the Ducks put together a two-out rally to double their advantage. Junior Eddie Daniele (Colts Neck, N.J.) walked and then moved to second on a single by sophomore Matty Roman (Galloway, N.J.). The next batter, Phillips, doubled to left-center, driving home both runners for a 4-0 advantage.
The Blue Knights scratched out a run in the bottom in the fifth when freshman
Max Tecce (Glen Cove, N.Y.) flew out to center for a sacrifice fly, scoring freshman
Dan McCrea (Hicksville, N.Y.).
In the top of the sixth, however, the Ducks plated four more runs, again taking advantage of a Mount Saint Mary error. With the bases loaded and two outs, an Andrews ground ball scooted past the first baseman and into right field, clearing the bases. Ackerman singled to center field to drive home the fourth run of the inning and make the score, 8-1.
Stevens got another run in the eighth and the Mount pushed across one in the ninth to make the final score, 9-2. Ackerman led the Ducks with three hits and a run batted in. Phillips was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs.
Freshman
Brian McNoble (Hicksville, N.Y.) led the Blue Knights with a 2-for-4 evening. He drove in the run in the ninth inning.
Up next for the Mount is a Skyline Conference tournament opening round game with the College of Mount Saint Vincent. The game will be played at Columbia University at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29.