Boxscore
Union, N.J. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Baseball squad opened the 2011 season on Thursday afternoon with a 9-2 loss at #3 Kean. The Dolphins were held to just four hits on the afternoon from four different players, while Mike Pope (Massapequa, N.Y.) and Josh Sharpe (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) scored the Mount Saint Vincent runs.
Kean, ranked #3 in the D3baseball.com preseason national poll, got all the scoring it would need in the first two innings. The Cougars plated two unearned runs off of Mount Saint Vincent starter Mike Trainor (Patterson, N.Y.) in the first inning and pushed across two more in the home half of the second inning.
The Cougars opened the scoring after a throwing error and a walk with one out in the opening frame. From there, Kean pulled off a double steal and Dylan Laguna scored on an errant throw. The trail runner also crossed on the Dolphins' third error of the inning to give the Cougars a quick two run advantage.
After Kean starter Mike Russo struck out the side in order in the top of the second, the Cougars went right back to work to open a four run lead. With one out and no one on, Kean used a hit by pitch and two straight hits to push across one run and set up the second which scored on a sacrifice fly.
Trailing 4-0, Mount Saint Vincent mounted a threat in the third and would load the bases with two outs, but would not be able to push its first run of the season across. James Labartino (Holbrook, N.Y.) got the Dolphins' first hit with two outs in the inning and was pushed to third after back-to-back walks.
After an eventful first two and a half innings, the two teams settled in until Kean pushed across five more runs in its last three at bats. The Cougars plated a single run in the sixth and then two each in the seventh and the eighth.
The Dolphins got on the board in the eighth on a Kevin Coogan (Bronx, N.Y.) groundout that pushed across Pope. Mount Saint Vincent added its second run in its final at-bat taking advantage of a hit, a walk and Kean's only error of the afternoon. After Sharpe led off the frame with his first career hit, he later scored after Labartino reached on a throwing error following in third strike.
Overall on the day Kean out hit the Mount 10-4 and was led by Vinny Gayla and Stephen Nappe who each recorded a pair of hits. Laguna and Chris Carrano each score two runs and six different players drove in a run for the Cougars.
For Mount Saint Vincent, Labartino, Sharpe, John McManus (Bayside, N.Y.) and Vinny Todino (Eastchester, N.Y.) each picked up one hit apiece. Pope scored a run and drew four walks for the Dolphins and Coogan picked up the lone RBI.
Trainor was saddled with the loss on Thursday and fell to 0-1 on the season after working 4.2 innings. He allowed only four hits and just two earned runs while walking two batters. Russo earned the win for Kean and throwing 6.0 innings and allowing just one hit. He struck out 11 on the day and walked four.
The loss sends Mount Saint Vincent to 0-1 on the season heading into a busy weekend. The Dolphins will travel to Stevens on Saturday before hosting Western Connecticut on Sunday afternoon. Saturday's game with the Ducks is set for a 3:30 p.m. start, while Sunday's game at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, N.Y. is slated for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
