NCAA Division II Baseball Result
Saturday, March 17, 2007
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Justin Muscarella |
Mercy College Baseball Falls Short at Palm Beach Atlantic, 13-9
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - The Mercy College baseball team collected 13 hits, but fell short at Palm Beach Atlantic University in a come from behind effort, 13-9, on Saturday, March 17. The Flyers are now 0-9 on the year, while Palm Beach Atlantic improved to 7-17.
Freshman shortstop Justin Muscarella (Plainview, NY) went 2-for-5 on the day for Mercy, driving in four runs. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Johnson (Saugerties, NY), senior right fielder Joe Mercado (Orlando, FL), and sophomore Joe Benedict (Harrison, NY) added two hits each. Senior right hander Steve Parisi (Congers, NY) allowed no earned runs in two innings of relief for the Flyers.
Palm Beach Atlantic scored three runs on three hits and two Mercy errors in the second inning, and added three more runs in the third to take a 6-0 lead.
The Flyers cut the lead to 6-2 in the fifth on a two-run double off the bat of Muscarella, but the Sailfish got one back in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run.
Mercy scored a run in the seventh on a double-play ball with the bases loaded, but Palm Beach Atlantic posted six runs on five hits and three errors in the bottom of the inning, extending the margin to 13-3.
The Flyers put together a rally in the eighth, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five times, trimming the deficit to 13-8. Muscarella knocked in two more in the inning with a single, while Johnson and sophomore Justin Roman (Silver Spring, MD) each plated runs with base hits.
Mercy made one more bid in the ninth, scoring a run on a wild pitch, but the Sailfish bullpen held from there.
The Flyers will close out their Florida trip on Sunday, March 18, with a doubleheader versus Franklin Pierce. First pitch for the twin bill is set for 10:00 a.m. and will be played at Lynn University.
