Union, NJ - In a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair, John Jay mounted a furious mid-game comeback but ultimately fell to the University of Mount Saint Vincent, 11-8, on Tuesday evening at Jim Hynes Stadium. The Bloodhound falter to 1-25 overall on the year while the Dolphins improve to 8-16.
The visitors struck first in the opening inning as Zach Turko doubled to lead things off and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Stephen Marinez. John Jay answered immediately in the bottom half, as
Jaxen Gangwish tripled to right-center and came around to score on an RBI single from
Sebastian Sanchez, knotting the game at 1-1 early.
The Dolphins regained the lead in the second when Turko delivered an RBI single, and then broke the game open in the third inning. A sacrifice fly by Kyle Brindisi, followed by run-scoring hits from Andrew Farina and Carter Niles, capped a four-run frame that extended the lead to 6-1. Niles finished a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Farina added three hits and two RBI of his own.
John Jay responded in the bottom of the third with a three-run rally.
Jose Suero sparked the inning with an RBI double, followed by consecutive RBI singles from
Isaac Salazar and
James Horodyski to cut the deficit to 6-4. Salazar paced the Bloodhounds offensively with a 3-for-5 performance and an RBI, while Horodyski added a hit and a run driven in.
Mount Saint Vincent answered right back in the fourth inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues to plate four more runs. Marinez delivered a two-RBI double, Brindisi added an RBI single, and Farina tripled to drive in another run as the Dolphins pushed their advantage to 10-4.
Refusing to go away, the Bloodhounds rallied again in the fifth inning.
Hayden Tackett singled to start the frame before Salazar added another hit.
Mark Piri delivered an RBI single, and
Lucas Perez followed with a run-scoring fielder's choice.
Matthew Apostolou added a sacrifice fly, and Perez later scored on a wild pitch as John Jay plated four runs to trim the deficit to 10-8. Piri finished with a hit, RBI, and a walk, while Apostolou contributed an RBI on the sacrifice fly.
On the mound, Mount Saint Vincent leaned on a deep bullpen effort. After early contributions from Will Granata and others, Luke Buyes earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief, striking out three and stabilizing the game during the late innings. Joseph Santos followed with a scoreless eighth, and Michael Iocco closed the door in the ninth to secure his first save of the season.
John Jay's pitching staff saw contributions from five arms, with
Thiago Telles providing a key stretch in relief, tossing 4.2 innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out four to keep the Bloodhounds within striking distance.
The Dolphins added an insurance run in the ninth when Turko delivered an RBI double, finishing his day 3-for-6 with two RBI. Turko, Niles, and Farina combined for nine of Mount Saint Vincent's 16 hits, while Marinez drove in three runs to lead the offense.
Gangwish reached base three times for John Jay, scoring twice and adding a triple, while Suero chipped in with a double and RBI. Sanchez added an RBI single, and the middle of the order—Salazar, Horodyski, and Piri—combined for five hits and three RBI.
John Jay hits the road on Thursday, April 16 as they will travel to Aston, PA to square off against the Neumann University Knights.
First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
