Pleasantville, N.Y. – Both junior left-handed pitcher Max Parker (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) and senior right-hander Sam DiGeorge (Canastota, N.Y./Canastota) threw a complete game on Friday to lead the Le Moyne baseball team (21-15, 6-4 NE10) to two victories over Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division foe Pace University (24-11, 4-6 NE10) at Peter X. Finnerty Field.

Both teams entered the four-game series with a 4-4 conference record, then the 'Phins took both games of Friday's doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 8-2. The Setters are ranked fifth in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Region Poll. The Dolphins are listed as receiving votes for the ten-team ranking.

Parker tossed all 9.0 innings in game one and recorded five strikeouts to earn his fourth victory and second complete-game win of the campaign.

Freshman left fielder Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) recorded a team-high four RBIs during the 7-3 win via a two-RBI single in the top of the third and a two-RBI double in the top of the fifth.

Sophomore catcher Benji Ries (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) tallied a team-best three hits with a walk and an RBI in game one, while Sullivan, graduate first baseman Dewey Roden (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill/UMass Lowell) and senior center fielder Zach Brush (New York Mills, N.Y./Utica Notre Dame) each contributed two hits.

Pace sophomore shortstop Mason Baronian recorded two hits and a team-high two runs batted in during the first half of the doubleheader. Senior right-handed pitcher Patrick Gleason started game one and allowed four earned runs in 5.0 innings, then freshman right-hander Tyler Rodriguez did not allow a run in 3.0 innings in relief before sophomore righty Anthony Apollaro tossed a scoreless top of the ninth for the Setters.

During game two, a seven-inning contest, DiGeorge held the Setters to just five hits, two runs and zero walks with six strikeouts during his third start (and ninth appearance) of 2023 to improve his record to 4-1.

Roden, Brush and Sullivan once again each tallied two hits during the 'Phins win, while Sullivan provided a team-best two runs batted in via a two-RBI triple in the top of the eighth. Graduate second baseman Drew Carroll (Clifton Park, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy (Albany), Roden, sophomore right fielder Wyatt Patchett (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) and freshman third baseman Lukas Egenhauser (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) each contributed one RBI during the 8-2 conference win.

Pace senior designated hitter Matthew Rinaldi recorded a team-best two hits against DiGeorge, while sophomore left-handed pitcher Vincent Civitella started game two on the mound for Pace and went 4.0 innings, then graduate right-hander Nelson Arroyo pitched 2.1 innings in relief before freshman Ryan Degnan got the final two outs of the top of the seventh for the Setters.

"We kept the momentum going today," said Le Moyne head coach Scott Cassidy '98 following Le Moyne's fifth and sixth consecutive conference victories. "We got great pitching performances from Max and Sam, along with an offensive outburst against some good arms," Cassidy added.

The Dolphins and the Setters will return to Pace's Peter X. Finnerty Field on Saturday for the final two games of the NE10 Conference series, scheduled for 12:00 and 3:00 p.m.

The Dolphins are currently in second place in the NE10 Southwest Division Standings, ahead of third-place New Haven (23-10, 7-5 NE10) and behind Southern Connecticut State (24-8, 7-1 NE10). The Setters dropped to fourth in the Southwest Division standings ahead of Adelphi (14-21, 4-8 NE10) and Saint Rose (12-16, 2-6 NE10)

Game One:
Pace sophomore catcher Hunter Goldstein ripped a one-out triple to right-center field with nobody on in the bottom of the second with the game still tied 0-0.

With the Le Moyne infield in during the next at bat, Rinaldi hit a hard ground ball to the right side. Carroll reacted and slid to his left, knocked the ball down, picked it up, quickly checked the runner at third then underhand tossed the ball to first in time for the second out of the inning.

During the next at bat, Pace junior first baseman Luke Rivara swung at the first pitch offering from Parker and hit a line drive towards shallow right-center field. Patchett reacted quickly and broke into a sprint diagonally towards his right. Patchett laid out head-first and made the diving catch to end the inning and prevent the run from scoring.

Carroll led off the bottom of the third for the 'Phins and hit a ground ball towards the left side of the infield that required the shortstop to charge in. Carroll hustled down the line and forced a quick throw, resulting in an errant throw which allowed Carroll to reach safely.

Le Moyne executed a hit-and-run during the next at bat as Carroll took off for second while senior shortstop Nick Nevins (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) ripped a ground ball through the right side of the infield, moving Le Moyne's leadoff man to third. Roden smoked an 0-1 pitch through the right side of the infield during the next at bat to drive in Carroll and break the tie.

With two outs in the inning, Brush drew a walk to load the bases, then Patchett swung at the first pitch he saw and poked the ball in front of the diving center field to drive in Nevins and Roden.

The left-handed hitting Sullivan fell behind 0-2 in his at bat then took two balls, fouled off the first 2-2 pitch, then swung at the second 2-2 pitch and hammered the ball through the left side of the infield to drive in Patchett and Brush and give the 'Phins a 4-0 lead.

Pace got three runs back in the bottom of the third with the help of RBI doubles from graduate right fielder Luke Jacobi and Baronian.

Parker recorded three consecutive outs following a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, then the 'Phins extended their lead in the top of the fifth.

Freshman third baseman Brody Keneston (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) and Brush both recorded one-out singles in the top of the fifth to give Le Moyne runners on first and second, then Patchett walked to load the bases.

Sullivan took a first-pitch strike during the next at bat before ripping a ground ball past the third baseman and down the left field line to bring in two runs and make it 6-3 in favor of the Dolphins. Ries followed that up with a single up the middle to drive in Patchett and once again give the 'Phins a four-run lead.

Parker recorded a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth, then following a leadoff single from Baronian in the bottom of the sixth, Carroll, Nevins and Roden completed a 4-6-3 double play to clear the bases.

Following a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, Parker recorded back-to-back looking strikeouts before getting a groundout to third base to end the game.

Game Two:
The Dolphins jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third.

Ries led off the inning with a fly ball to right field that went over the fielder's head and bounced over the ball for a ground-rule double.

After falling behind 0-2 during the next at bat, Egenhauser fouled off a good two-strike pitch before ripping a ground ball down the right field line to drive in Ries and break the tie. Carroll singled to left field, then Nevins reached base and Egenhauser scored on a fielding error. Carroll scored on a wild pitch, then Roden drove in Nevins with a base hit through the left side.

Sullivan ripped a leadoff single up the middle in the top of the fourth, then Ries drew a walk to move him into scoring position. Egenhauser moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt, the Carroll lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Sullivan and make it 5-0 in favor of the Dolphins.

Pace got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth with the help of an RBI single from Goldstein.

Le Moyne loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but Arroyo recorded back-to-back swinging strikeouts to end the inning and strand the runners.

Patchett delivered an RBI double in the top of the seventh, then Sullivan drove in two runs with a triple to extend Le Moyne's lead to 8-2.

DiGeorge pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh to finish the complete game and secure Le Moyne's sixth consecutive conference victory.