Syracuse, N.Y. – Freshman righty Ryan Murphy (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) went eight innings and redshirt junior designated hitter Andrew Taft (Clinton, N.Y./Clinton/Buffalo) went 3-for-3 to lead the #10/23 Le Moyne College baseball team to a 7-1 victory over Pace University in the second game of a Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division doubleheader on Monday afternoon at Dick Rockwell Field. The Setters rallied in the last two innings for a 10-5 win in the opening game.

Taft gave the Dolphins the lead in the first inning of the second game by blasting a 3-2 pitch over the fence in left field for his NE10-best 13th home run of the year. He is the 10th Dolphin in the program's history to hit at least 13 home runs in a season and the first to do so since Chris Edmondson '10 in 2009.

Le Moyne extended its lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the second. Junior catcher Camillo Spinoso (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/George Washington) led off with a single through the right side and moved to second on a one-out single to the pitcher by sophomore third baseman Nicholas Jacques (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Shenendehowa). After taking third on a wild pitch, Spinoso scored on a sacrifice fly to right center by redshirt freshman second baseman Brian O'Mara (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill), who was named the NE10 Rookie of the Week earlier in the day.

Pace broke through with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Left fielder Harrison Treble walked with one out, moved to second on a single to right by shortstop Paul Piccolino and scored on a two-out single to center by center fielder Matt Almonte, who was thrown out trying to take an extra base.

The Dolphins extended their lead to 3-1 with a run in the seventh on two hits. Senior center fielder/right fielder Brian Cox (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) singled to left center with one out and then stole second base, which prompted the Setters to intentionally walk Taft. Junior first baseman Nick Place (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) followed with a single up the middle to drive in Cox.

After the Dolphins got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth, they blew the game open with four runs on three hits and two Pace errors in the bottom of the frame. Jacques reached on a throwing error by the shortstop to open the inning and then O'Mara reached second on a dropped throw by the second baseman. After a groundout, Jacques scored on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Taft singled to left center to knock in O'Mara. Following a single through the right side by Place, redshirt junior shortstop/pitcher Ben Walsh (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) tripled down the right field line to knock in freshman pinch-runner Michael Smith (Montebello, N.Y./Suffern) and Place. The triple was Walsh's fifth of the season, which ties him for the sixth-most in a season in the program's history.

Murphy struck out seven batters over eight innings, while scattering seven hits, en route to his sixth victory of the season and fifth in as many starts. The fourth-inning run snapped his streak of 30 consecutive innings without allowing an earned. Place joined Taft in posting three hits in the game, while Spinoso added a pair. Thomas Ippolito took the loss after yielding three runs and eight hits over six and one-third innings, while striking out six.

In the first game of the day, Pace scored twice in the first inning. Right fielder Ryan Crowley walked on four pitches to start the game and advanced around to third on a pair of groundouts. Catcher Michael Gulino then doubled to left field to drive in Crowley. Almonte followed with a single through the right side to plate Gulino, but was thrown out trying for an extra base.

Le Moyne took the lead in the fourth inning with three runs on one hit and one Pace error. Place, Walsh and junior right fielder David DiNorcia (Naples, Fla./Seacrest Country Day) each drew walks to load the bases with one out. Jacques then singled through the left side to drive in Place. After a pitching change, O'Mara reached on a fielder's choice to knock in Walsh with the tying. DiNorcia scored the go-ahead run as freshman left fielder Nick Spinella (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) reached on a fielder's choice.

The Dolphins pushed their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth. O'Mara led off with a single through the right side and then took second on a wild pitch. After a fly out and a single by Cox, O'Mara scored on a groundout by Taft.

Pace regained the lead with three runs on four hits in the top of the eighth. Second baseman Michael Salmonese singled to left and Gulino singled down the left field line to open the frame and force a pitching change. Salmonese then scored as Almonte reached on a fielder's choice. Following a single by designated hitter Michael Barbato and an out, Treble singled to right to plate Almonte. After a walk to load the bases, pinch-runner/second baseman Riley Iafrate scored from third on a wild pitch.

Le Moyne tied the score at five with a run in the bottom of the eighth. After O'Mara walked on four pitches to start the inning and stole second, Spinella doubled down the left field line to drive in O'Mara and force a pitching change. Reliever Lorenzo Russo was able to strike the next batter out and after intentionally walking Taft, he induced an inning-ending double play.

The Setters exploded for five runs in the top of the ninth to take the lead for good. After Piccolino and Salmonese were hit by two of the first three pitches of the inning, Gulino doubled down the left field line to plate Piccolino with the winning run and force a pitching change. Almonte greeted the new pitcher with a double down the left field line to drive in Salmonese and Gulino. After a groundout and a single by third baseman Matthew Kurdewan to put runners on the corners, Treble lined out to the center field to knock in Iafrate. After the third hit batter of the inning, Kurdewan scored from second on a throwing error by the catcher on what should have been an inning-ending strikeout.

Senior Alex Kubera (Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk/Niagara C.C.) suffered the loss out of the bullpen after allowing four runs over one-plus innings. Russo earned the victory after retiring six of the seven batters he pitched to.

Le Moyne (30-11-1, 15-4-1 NE10, 11-3 SW), which reached 30 wins for the first time since the 2012 season, continues its season-closing homestand on Tuesday against The College of Saint Rose at 3:00 p.m.