By JOSH VESHIA
Staff Writer
The Saint Rose baseball team added three games to the win column when they defeated rival Le Moyne on Tuesday and then came home Wednesday to win two against Saint Joseph’s.
Senior Nick Cioffi continued his success on the mound going seven innings striking out 11while not allowing a run. The win at Le Moyne brought his record to 4-0 on the season.
“I felt good,” Cioffi said about his performance. “I was able to locate the fastball where I wanted to and my slider felt sharp. Coach Jones worked hard with me this week and had a great game plan for their lineup and we executed it well.”
Catcher Joe DeLuca started the 11-run day for the Golden Knights with an RBI single in the first. The Saint Rose Athlete of the Week finished with a team-high four runs batted in.
“Le Moyne is a big rival and they had just lost two to Pace so we wanted to pull out a win to keep us in first place,” DeLuca said following the game. “Being able to contribute was great but it was a team effort. We really hit the ball well.”
One of DeLuca’s teammates who hit the ball well was shortstop Tyler Ungerland, as he has all season. In the second, Ungerland drove a two-run homer to left for his fourth on the year. He currently sits atop the Northeast-10 Conference with the best batting average.
“I feel more comfortable at the plate than I ever have,” said the junior Ungerland.” Coming into the season as the three-hitter, I knew I would have to give a lot to help the team. Our team has gelled together at the right time of the year and I’m happy to be able to contribute.”
Ungerland carried the momentum into Wednesday’s double-header with Saint Joseph’s where the Golden Knights exploded for 15 runs in game one. He finished three-for-four driving in four including an RBI triple in the first.
Sophomore right-fielder Sean Maki drove in three with a homerun late to solidify the win. Maki would also drive in two crucial runs in a 4-3 win game 2.
“I try to be relaxed up there and keep a simple approach,” said Maki on his day at the plate. “When you’re hitting well it’s always fun and being able to get two wins on top of it made things even better.”
Saint Rose used three pitchers in each of the seven-inning, non-league games to collect the victories and preserve starting pitchers for league play.
The three wins brought the Golden Knights baseball team to 14-11 overall, 8-2 in conference with the win over Le Moyne.
