3/9/2009 -

James Labartino went 2-3 in the season opener at Stevens.

Hoboken, N.J. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Baseball team opened the 2009 season with a 7-3 road loss at Stevens on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore James Labartino (Holbrook, N.Y.) collected two of the Dolphins four hits in the game.

The Ducks opened a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, collecting four hits including an RBI double from Tom Phillips. Stevens would tack on the eventual game winning tally in the third inning when Kenneth Meerendonk connected on a home run to push the Ducks in front 4-0.

After Stevens added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning, Mount Saint Vincent tallied in the top half of the sixth after Labartino led off with a double and was pushed across on a double play ball. The Dolphins would slice the Stevens lead in half in the top of the eighth on a two-run homer from Joe Blackford (Stewartsville, N.J.). The round tripper is Blackford’s first in 2009 and is the third of his career.

Stevens would get a run back in the home half of the eighth when a run was balked in and the Mount went in order in the ninth to close the game.

Labartino finished the game 2-3 with a double and two runs scored, while Blackford and Mike Pope (Massapequa, N.Y.) picked up the other two knocks for the Dolphins. The Ducks finished the game with 10 hits with Meerendonk and Anthony Andrews picking up two hits apiece.

Corey Kirsh (East Meadow, N.Y.) took the loss for the Dolphins and fell to 0-1 on the season. He allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits. Meerendonk picked up the win for the Ducks allowing one run on one hit in 6.0 innings of work.

The loss drops Mount Saint Vincent to 0-1 overall on the season. The Dolphins will open the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday when they host Western Connecticut State. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, N.Y.