Madison, NJ - The University of Mount Saint Vincent excelled on both sides on the field on Thursday evening when they challenged FDU-Florham to a non-conference matchup, one that they walked away winners of by the score of 9-1. The victory comes off the heels of a tough loss to Ithaca College this past Sunday and ahead of a weekend of games against New York University. The win also improved UMSV's overall record to 2-2 to kick off the 2024 campaign. 

The Dolphins continued their stretch of games where they strike early. The first inning saw speedsters Dom Porto and Johnny Brucato reach base on a walk and base hit, respectively, in what has become a theme early in the season. A Jason Albert single to left field gave his team an early one run edge, with a Stephen Marinez sacrifice fly making it a 2-0 game before the Devils could come to bat. 

The offense would continue to roll over the next two innings. Porto would plate senior Joey DiNorcia after the Naples, Florida native reached base on an opposite field single before Conor Martin moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. DiNorcia would then drive home Marinez and Eric Zimmermann in the third inning, bringing the score to 5-0 in favor of the Dolphins. 

While the hits were coming, the UMSV pitching staff was doing their part, too. Transfer junior Alex Alvarez received his first start in a UMSV uniform and rewarded head coach John Torres with the decision. Alvarez allowed just two hits and three walks across four scoreless innings while adding three strikeouts to his final line. Sophomore Jake Bland picked up right where Alvarez left off, as the right hander struck out four batters in the following four innings of relief. 

The offense kept their momentum going in the later innings. Albert would drive home two more in the eighth, good for his team-leading third RBI of the afternoon. Marinez would finish with two RBI of his own while led the way with three hits, three stolen bases and two runs scored. Aidan Cardenas would face five batters while striking out one as the lefty finished out the game. 

The Dolphins are set to face NYU in three straight games, starting off with a double header on Saturday.