Cary, N.C. – The Mercy College Mavericks scored a run in the top of the 9^th inning on Sunday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex to earn a 7-6 victory over the Le Moyne College baseball team.

Le Moyne senior right-hander Jacob Maser (Chittenango, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) started the game on the mound for the Dolphins and went 5.0 innings on Sunday during which he allowed six runs and struck out five batters.

Maser went through the top of the Mercy lineup 1-2-3 during the first inning.

After earning a 16-0 win over the Mavericks on Saturday as the designated visitors, the 'Phins were the designated home team on Sunday and got on the board during the bottom of the 1^st inning.
Senior Drew Carroll (Clifton Park, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Albany)) led off the inning with a double off the left field wall. Graduate right fielder Michael Smith (Montebello, N.Y./Suffern) drew a walk, then senior Nick Nevins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) moved them both over with a bunt to the right side of the infield. During the next Le Moyne at-bat graduate third baseman Derrick Miller (Westernville, N.Y./Rome Free Academy) lifted the ball to left field, which allowed Carroll to tag and score from third base to give the 'Phins an early 1-0 lead.

Maser allowed a baserunner during the top of the 2^nd with one out but got a fly ball and a strikeout to end the inning.

Mercy senior pitcher Austin DeRosa settled in and held Le Moye scoreless during the second and third innings.

Mavericks utility player Nikko Liguori singled and drove in graduate outfielder Robert Wootten during the top of the third inning to tie the game at 1-1.

Maser delivered a 1-2-3 inning during the top of the fourth, and the 'Phins regained the lead back during the bottom half of the inning. Miller ripped a one-out single over the shortstop's head and freshman Benji Ries (Buffalo Grove, I.L./Adlai E. Stevenson) moved him into scoring position with a ground ball to the right side of the infield.
Sophomore outfielder Jason Boule (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse)) drove the ball into right field to bring in Miller from second base and give the Dolphins a 2-1 lead.

The Mavericks answered back with five runs scored during the top of the 5^th. Wooten and Liguori both tripled for Mercy during the inning.

Freshman right-hander Steven Freer (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) took over for Maser on the mound at the start of the 6^th inning and got through two innings of work without surrendering a hit during his collegiate debut.

Down 6-2, the 'Phins began chipping away during the bottom of the 6^th. Smith singled to right field, then after sprinting hard down the first base line to prevent a double play, Nevins reached safely on a fielder's choice to put a man on 1^st with one out for Le Moyne. Miller drew a walk to move Nevins into scoring position, then Nevins tagged up and took third base after a fly ball to center field off the bat of Ries. Boule stepped to the plate next and worked the count full. Boule hit the 3-2, two-out pitch on the ground in the hole between the short stop and the third baseman. The Mercy shortstop fielded the ball, but Boule beat the throw to the bag which allowed Nevins to cross the plate and trim the 'Phins deficit to 6-3.

The Mavericks put a man on third during the top of the 7^th, but Freer recorded a strikeout to strand the runner and end the inning.

Graduate catcher Drew Fureno (Canajoharie, N.Y./Fort Plain) grounded the ball down the third base line and beat the throw to the bag to give the Dolphins a runner on first without no one out to start the bottom of the 7^th inning.

After DeRosa recorded a strikeout for the first out of the inning, he hit Carroll with a pitch which moved Fureno into scoring position and caused Mercy to take DeRosa out after 6.1 innings of work and give freshman left-hander Matthew Manzoeill the ball. Smith was Manzoeill's first batter, and he drove the ball to center field which allowed Fureno to tag up and take third base. Nevins ripped a double down the left field line to score Fureno and move Carroll to third base. With two outs and Le Moyne runners on second and third, Miller stepped to the plate. Miller popped the ball up high in the air to the right side of the infield. The Mercy second basemen got underneath it but dropped the ball which allowed Carroll and Nevins to score and tie the game at 6-6.

Freshman left-hander Jacob Crystal (Cicero, N.Y.) took the ball from Freer to start the 8^th inning. During Crystal's collegiate debut on the mound, he allowed two singles to start the inning, then showed tremendous poise to get three consecutive outs to end the inning and keep the game tied at 6-6.

Junior right-hander Sam DiGeorge (Canastota, N.Y./Canastota) took the mound for Le Moyne for the top of the 9^th inning. DiGeorge struck out the first Mercy batter, then allowed a single to right field from Mavericks shortstop Jaden Caballero. Caballero advanced to second base on a balk, then took third base off a wild pitch. As DiGeorge delivered a pitch to Mercy's next batter, Liguori, Caballero broke for home. Liguori bunted the ball towards DiGeorge who fielded it and tossed the ball to Fureno behind the plate, but Caballero got a good jump, beat the throw home and gave Mercy a 7-6 lead. DiGeorge got a ground ball out, then hit a batter. Freshman right-hander Wyatt Patchett (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) came in and got the final out of the inning for Le Moyne.

Smith doubled into right field to give Le Moyne a runner in scoring position with zero outs in the bottom of the 9th, but the 'Phins were unable to bring in the tying run and fell to the Mavericks in North Carolina by a score of 7-6.

The Le Moyne College baseball team will be back in action on Friday, February 25 when they play a doubleheader against Saint Thomas Aquinas at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C.