3/31/2007 - (Riverdale, NY) - Two games into the Skyline Conference portion of the Mount Saint Vincent Baseball schedule for the 2007 season, two things were clear: The Dolphins have everything it takes to compete with the very best the conference has to offer, but if they are going to advance to the post-season for the first time, ever, all of the components have to come together in a hurry. During 13-4 and 8-5 losses to Mount Saint Mary, the Mount did many things right, but they also did not do quite enough to overcome a very good Blue Knight team, and fell to 2-8 overall and 0-2 in Conference play. The Dolphins have now lost five straight games.

The opener saw Mount Saint Mary score four times during the first inning and cruise to victory as the Blue Knights followed up their opening inning outburst with nine runs during the final three innings. The Mount cut into the four-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning when a Brendan Russo (Westbury, NY/Clarke HS) single scored Logan Mauzy (Homer, NY/Homer Central HS) to make it 4-1. However, Mount Saint Mary scored twice during the top of the seventh inning, and extended the lead to 9-1 in the eighth inning before both Mauzy and Russo drove in runs to make it 9-3. The Blue Knights removed all doubt to the outcome in the top of the ninth inning with a four-run rally.

Russo and Anthony Brestolli (Wyckoff, NY/Don Bosco) each had two hits with Russo driving in two runs, while freshman Joe Blackford (Stewartsville, NJ/Warren Hills Regional HS) had three hits and scored a run. Pitcher Ryan Strub (Bohemia, NY/Connetquot HS) took the loss after pitching into the seventh inning.

The nightcap proved to be one of the most disappointing games of the 2007 season as the Dolphins scored four runs during the bottom of the first inning and a run during the bottom of the third inning to take a 5-0 lead that appeared to be comfortable. A two-run triple by Al Schor (Norwalk, CT/Brien McMahon HS) and two-run single by Vinny Prestopino (Bronx, NY/Salesian) highlighted the first three innings, and junior Anthony Palandro (Westbury, NY/Clarke HS) cruised through the first three innings on the mound. However, five Dolphin errors led to five Mount Saint Mary unearned runs, and the Blue Knights scored eight runs during the final four innings to clinch the win.

Schor finished with three hits and three RBI's and Palandro allowed two earned runs and struck out four during four innings of work.

Mount Saint Vincent returns to action on Sunday, April 1 when they travel to Stevens Institute of Technology for a 12:00 p.m. Skyline Conference doubleheader.