SETTERS SPLIT WITH SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT
NEW HAVEN, CT - The Pace University baseball team lost to
Southern Connecticut, 6-0, in the first game of a Northeast-10
Conference doubleheader before bouncing back to take the second
game, 8-2. Pace goes to 19-8 overall and 6-2 in the
Northeast-10 Conference while Southern Connecticut goes to 19-9
overall and 8-3 in conference play.
In the first game of the twin bill, SCSU starter Joe Vingo held
Pace to just three hits in a complete game shutout that saw Vingo
strikeout five while walking one. Southern Connecticut scored
their first run in the 2nd inning following an error by
Pace third baseman Matt Arburr (Bristol, CT/Bristol
Eastern). Joe Kahlden scored on a ground out by Karl
Derbacker. In the 3rd inning, Michael Diaz reached
on a single to center field and then stole second. After Joe
Pagan walked, the Owls pulled off a double steal putting Diaz on
third and Pagan on second base. Nick Czekaj then singled past
Pace shortstop Matt Liscinsky (Trumbull, CT/
Trumbull) scoring Diaz and giving Southern Connecticut a
2-0 lead.
SCSU would tack on three runs in the 5th inning when
Jose Ortiz singled up the middle to score Diaz and Steve
Gatewood. Jim McLaughlin would single to score Ortiz and give
SCSU a 5-0 lead through five innings. The Owls would score
once more in the 6th.
On the mound, Pace starter David Qualben (Brooklyn,
NY/Xavier) dropped to 3-3 on the season after allowing six
runs - only three earned - over six innings while scattering seven
hits and striking out four. Freshman Eric Brown
(Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) pitched two scoreless innings,
giving up one hit.
In the second game, SCSU jumped on the board first, in the
3rd inning. With two outs, Ortiz doubled to left
center and Czekaj walked. Kahlden then followed with a single
to center field, scoring Ortiz. Pace would answer in the top
of the 5th when Chris Brown (West Kingston,
RI/South Kingstown) reached on a throwing eror by the
second baseman and was then awarded second base on an interference
call. Matt Bisbano (Mt. Kisco, NY/Fox Lane)
dropped down a bunt and reached on a single, but the catcher's
throw to third was offline, allowing Brown to score with the tying
run.
Pace would answer in the top of the 6th when
Mike Pahira (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) doubled to
center field with one out. Matt Castellano (Staten
Island, NY/St. Joseph) followed with a single and
Adam Harwood's (Los Angeles, CA/Brentwood) single
to right field gave Pace a 2-1 lead. Brown then dropped down
a bunt and reached safely to load the bases. Bisbano then
followed with a two-run double to right center, scoring Castellano
and Harwood and giving Pace a 4-1 lead.
In the 7th, Jack Cawley (Bronx, NY/Iona
Prep) singled to through the left side of the infield and
then moved to second on a ground out by Arburr. After Cawley stole
third, Pahira singled to right field, scoring Cawley and giving
Pace a 5-1 lead. Pace was not finished as they scored three
more runs in the top of the 8th. Brown struck out,
but reached first on a passed ball to lead off the inning.
After Bisbano singled and moved Brown to second, JC Pullum
(White Plains, NY/Valhalla) singled to left field and
moved to second on a throwing error by the left fielder.
Brown would score on the play and Bisbano would move to
third. After Liscinsky grounded out, Cawley followed with a
single past the shortstop, scoring Bisbano. Arburr then hit a
ground ball to third base that scored Pullum after he beat the
throw to first on the attempted double play.
Southern Connecticut would score once in the bottom of the
8th but Pace held on to win 8-2. For Pace,
Matt Reilly (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) picked up
the victory to improve to 5-1 on the season. Reilly gave up one run
on five hits while walking five and striking out four over seven
innings pitched. Reilly now has 161 career strikeouts, moving
him into 2nd place all-time at Pace behind Willie
Espinal (166, 86-89). He also became the 8th
pitcher in Pace history to pitch 200 innings for his career.
At the plate, Cawley and Bisbano were each 3-for-5 while Bisbano
drove in two runs. Pullum, Pahira, Castellano and Brown each
collected two hits apiece.
Pace returns to action when they travel to Waltham, Mass. on
Tuesday, April 11th to take on the Falcons of Bentley
College in a Northeast-10 Conference match-up slated for 9 innings,
with the first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.