POUGHKEEPSIE – The Marist baseball team lost to Albany by a score of 7-6 in a 10-inning non-conference game on Tuesday at McCann Baseball Field.
Marist trailed 6-4 with two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the ninth, but rallied to tie the game. A single by sophomore center fielder Graham McIntire (Concord, N.H.) was followed by walks to freshman third baseman Ben Moller (Warrington, Pa.) and freshman right fielder Jamari Moore (Marietta, Ga.). McIntire's hit, as well as the walks to Moller and Moore, all came on 3-2 counts.
With Marist then down to its final strike again, junior first baseman Steve Laurino (Carle Place, N.Y.) grounded a 1-2 pitch back up through the middle to bring home both McIntire and Moller to tie the score at six apiece. However, Albany re-claimed the lead in the top of the 10th on an RBI double by shortstop Richard Bacon in the left-center gap.
Marist had nine hits, drew 11 walks, and forced Albany pitchers to throw 225 pitches. Laurino finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored. McIntire and senior catcher Zachary Passerelle (Sparta, N.J.) added two hits apiece. The Red Foxes left 17 runners on base.
Junior right-hander Chris Napolitano (Wall, N.J.) took the loss for the Red Foxes, and is now 0-2. Napolitano pitched the final four innings, and allowed two runs and no walks while recording four strikeouts. Junior left-hander Rich Vrana (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) got the start, and went the first four innings. Vrana allowed three hits, two runs and one walk, and struck out three.
Bacon, left fielder D.J. Hoagboon, center fielder Alex Lushkevich and third baseman Jeff VonMoser had two hits apiece for the Great Danes. Bacon drove in two runs, while Lushkevich had two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Cameron Sorgie, the last of four Albany pitchers, got the win and improved to 2-2. Sorgie pitched the ninth and 10th innings.
Albany improved to 7-16; Marist fell to 8-21.
The Red Foxes have a bye from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play this weekend, and will travel to North Carolina A&T for a three-game series. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1, followed by a single game on Sunday at 1.
