3/18/2009 -

John McManus went 4-4 with a double against Bethany on Wednesday.

Ft. Pierce, Fla. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Baseball team was defeated by Bethany (W Va.) on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 18-10. The game featured 38 hits, with six Dolphins collecting at least two safeties. John McManus (Bayside, N.Y.) went 4-4 in the contest and drove in a pair of runs for the Mount.

Each team posted three runs in its first at-bat on Wednesday. After the Bison scored their three in the top half of the frame, the Dolphins responded to tie the score with four hits in the bottom of the inning. After Vinny Todino (Eastchester, N.Y.) and Josh Cuozzo (Westbury, N.Y.) singled to start the inning, Fernando Suriel (Yonkers, N.Y.) knotted the score with his first long ball of the season.

The Bison tacked on five more tallies in the visiting half of the second inning on the strength of two extra base hits. Matt Nemec lead off the inning with a triple and scored on a Levi Bender single, before Chris Leasure laced a two-run double to right center to drive in two more runs. The Bison’s other two runs came on a fielder’s choice and a wild pitch in the inning.

After scoring single runs in the second and third innings to cut the deficit to 8-5, Mount Saint Vincent surrendered seven runs in the fourth inning as Bethany jumped out to a 15-5 lead. The big blow in the inning was a Leasure home run to right center that plated three of the seven tallies in the frame.

After the Bison scored a pair of runs in the top of the inning, Mount Saint Vincent would chip away at the lead with three runs in the home half of the fifth on five base hits. Mike Ruckdaschel (East Meadow, N.Y.), Todino and Joe Blackford (Stewartsville, N.J.) each collected run scoring knocks in the frame.
 
The Dolphins would plate two more runs in their final at-bat, but would not be able to catch the Bison. Bethany had six extra base hits in the contest and scored multiple runs in four of their nine at-bats.

McManus finished the afternoon 4-4 with a double, a run scored and a pair of runs driven in. Cuozzo had three hits and scored a run, while Blackford went 3-5 with an RBI. Todino, Christian Lavery (Westbury, N.Y.) and Ruckdaschel all collected a pair of hits on the afternoon for the Mount.

Leasur finished the afternoon 3-6 with three runs scored and seven RBI for the Bison, while Nemec and Bender each went 4-6. Nemec crossed with three runs in the game and Bender drove in three.

Jeff Martin (West Babylon, N.Y.) took the loss for Mount Saint Vincent after working 1.1 innings and allowing eight earned runs on six hits. Josh Eckelberger earned the win for Bethany after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing eight runs, six earned, on 13 hits. He fanned three and walked just one.

The loss drops Mount Saint Vincent to 4-5 overall on the season. The Dolphins will return to action on Saturday when they open league play against Old Westbury. The twinbill to be played at Old Westbury is slated to start at noon.