Union, N.J. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Baseball team suffered a 6-5 loss on a walk-off home run in the 10^th inning on Sunday on the road at #5 Kean. Senior Josh Sharpe (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) recorded three hits in the game and drove in a pair of runs.
 
Mount Saint Vincent struck first for the fifth time in as many games on Sunday with a run in its first at-bat against the Cougars. After Nicholas Pace (Cranford, N.J.) singled and Robert Drake (Staten Island, N.Y.) walked to open the game, Sharpe delivered the Dolphins' first run with a single to right field.
 
Kean would answer with a run in the home half of the first and later jumped out to a 3-1 lead with a pair of tallies in the second frame. Michael Kendall broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI triple with one out in the inning and later was pushed across on a bunt single from Chris Amato.
 
The Dolphins would scratch out a run in the third inning to get back to within a run when Chris Sideli (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was hit with a pitch with one out and the bases loaded. The only hit in the inning for the Mount was a leadoff single from Jason Rivera (Bronx, N.Y.). Luetrim 'Tim' Hoxha (Forest Hills, N.Y.) would also be hit with a pitch and Mike Esposito (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) drew a walk for the Mount.
 
After holding Kean off the board in the third, the Dolphins knotted the score at 3-3 when Sharpe scored on a wild pitch in the fourth and later moved in front 5-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth. Sharpe was again in the middle of things for the Dolphins with a run scoring double that drove Pace home and then later scored the Mount's fifth run when he crossed on a throwing error.
 
Mount Saint Vincent would hold on to the two run advantage until the Cougars plated two runs to tie the score in the ninth. After scoring twice in the second, Kean was held to just one hit before recording a pair of safeties in the home half of the ninth. After reaching on an error to lead off the inning, Joe O'Connor scored on a Sal Taormina single before Ryan Reitmeyer pushed across the tying run with a single to left field with one out in the inning.
Mount Saint Vincent would get an inning ending double play with the winning run on third, but went in order in the tenth inning. After trailing by two heading to the ninth inning, the Cougars scratched out the win when Tyler Smarslok sent the first pitch of the bottom of the tenth out to left field for a game ending home run.
 
The tenth inning home run was the only hit in the game for Smarslok who was one of six different players with a hit. Kendall was the only Kean player with multiple hits after going 2-for-3 with a triple, run scored and RBI.
 
Sharpe wrapped up the game 3-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and pair of RBI. Pace totaled two hits out of the leadoff spot and scored a pair of runs. Esposito ripped his team leading third double of the season for the Dolphins.
 
Brian Rush (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) started and worked 3.0 innings for the Mount, allowing three runs on three hits. Tyler Krolikowski (Massapequa, N.Y.) came on to work 3.0 scoreless innings in relief and has now work 8.0 scoreless innings on the season and allowed just a .120 opponent's batting average. Joseph Crosser (Cutchogue, N.Y.) suffered the loss, allowing three runs and striking out five in 3.0 innings.
 
Matt Mantione was the third of three pitchers in the game for Kean and picked up the victory after working the final 3.2 innings. He allowed one run and fanned six in moving to 1-0 on the season.
 
Sunday's loss drops Mount Saint Vincent to 0-5 overall on the season and to 0-3 against ranked opponents in the early going. The Dolphins will be back in action again on March 8 when they travel to Washington (Md.) to start a three game weekend series. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

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