EMMITSBURG, Md. – The Long Island University baseball team opened Northeast Conference play with a sweep of Mount St. Mary's University on Saturday, March 20 at E.T. Straw Family Stadium. The Sharks took game one by an 8-5 margin and took down the Mountaineers 6-4 in game two.
EJ Exposito continued to mash at the plate to begin his LIU tenure, finishing 5-for-8 with one home run and three runs batted in.
Davyn Adamscheck also collected five hits on the day, driving in three runs. Five other Sharks had multi-hit days as LIU compiled 22 total hits and 14 runs during the two contests.
Game One: LIU 8, Mount 5
LIU struck first when Exposito drove in
Giovanni Ciaccio with an RBI-single to right field during the top of the third inning to give the Sharks a 1-0 advantage. Mount responded with one run during the third and fourth innings, and a pair of runs during the sixth to take a 4-1 lead late in the contest.
Seth Surrett was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh inning and later stole second and advanced to a third on a wild pitch. The Sharks eventually loaded the bases and
Anthony Warneke drove in Surrett with a single to left field to cut the deficit in half. Two batters later Adamscheck ripped a single through the right side of the infield to score a pair of runs and level the scoring at 4-4.
Rob Griswold came on in relief during the bottom of the eighth inning and stranded two Mountaineers on base to keep the score tied. The Blue and Gold took full control during the ninth inning, as
Cade Biddle led off the frame with an infield single and stole second base. Following a Ciaccio single, Exposito advanced both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Mount attempted to set up a force play at any base by intentionally walking Warneke, but
Andy Camilo also drew a walk in the next at-bat to give LIU a 5-4 lead. Adamscheck followed suit with an RBI-single and
Christopher Wasson drove home two more runs with a single to center field as LIU carried a four-run lead into the bottom half of the inning and held on for the series-opening win.
Game Two: LIU 6, Mount 4
It was the Sharks who took complete control early and carried the momentum into the late innings.
Carlton Harper put LIU on the board with an RBI-double during the top of the second inning, and the Sharks tacked on three more runs during the fifth to take a 4-0 lead at the midway point.
Exposito singled through the right side of the infield to drive in another run, making it 5-0 during the sixth inning before Mount made things interesting. Two-run singles during the sixth and eighth innings made it a one-run game at 5-4 entering the final frame. Exposito came through in a big way once again, blasting a solo home run to center field to give LIU an insurance run and Griswold struck out the side during the bottom of the ninth to earn the save.
Up Next:
LIU will wrap up its three-game series with Mount on Sunday, March 21 for a single contest beginning at 1:00 p.m.
