by Ryan Manno
Molloy
Top-seeded Molloy captured its third consecutive East Coast Conference Championship on Saturday morning, dominating Mercy Mavericks baseball, 13-1, at Mitchel Field.
The Lions secured their fifth ECC title in the last six seasons and improved to 39-9 overall, earning a berth into the NCAA Tournament. Senior Sean Welsh was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after an outstanding postseason performance.
Molloy jumped ahead immediately in the first inning when sophomore Steve Mulqueen singled through the left side to drive in Mike Sweeney and Brian Sanchez for an early 2-0 advantage.
The Lions continued to pile on offense in the third inning behind RBI singles from Welsh, Charlie Imhof, and Jack Vallario, extending the lead to 6-0. Molloy then broke the game wide open in the fourth inning, scoring four more runs. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Welsh cleared the bases with a three run double down the left-field line before later scoring on another double from Mulqueen.
Mercy scored its lone run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Lions answered again in the seventh as Sweeney drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Sanchez added an RBI single, and Welsh capped the scoring with another sacrifice fly.
Welsh finished with two hits, five RBIs, and two runs scored, tying a career high in RBIs. Mulqueen added two hits and three RBIs, while Sanchez and Sweeney each collected three hits and scored three runs. Vallario chipped in with two RBIs.
On the mound, graduate student JC Kiss improved to 8-1 after tossing seven innings and allowing just one run on six hits. The Molloy pitching staff surrendered only one hit over the final three innings to close out the championship victory.
The Lions will now await their NCAA East Regional destination during Sunday night’s selection show.
St. John’s
The Red Storm continued their strong conference run on Saturday afternoon, shutting out Villanova Wildcats baseball, 3-0, to secure their sixth consecutive BIG EAST series victory for the first time since 2018 while also punching their ticket to the BIG EAST Tournament.
A tight pitchers’ duel dominated much of the afternoon as Evan Chaffee and Villanova starter Jack Kelley traded scoreless innings through the first six frames. The Wildcats threatened early by loading the bases in the opening inning, but Chaffee escaped the jam with a strikeout to keep the game scoreless.
The breakthrough finally came in the seventh inning when Will Cowan reached on an infield single before stealing second base. Moments later, Dylan Fitzsimmons ripped an RBI single through the right side to give the Johnnies a 1-0 lead.
St. John’s added insurance in the ninth after Cowan again created havoc on the basepaths with another stolen base. Fitzsimmons then launched a two run home run over the right field wall, extending the lead to 3-0 and sealing the victory.
Fitzsimmons powered the offense, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, a home run, a stolen base, and a run scored, while Cowan crossed the plate twice and swiped two bags. On the mound, Chaffee delivered six shutout innings with eight strikeouts before Jack Nestler and Evan Hoeckele combined for three scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Hoeckele earned the save as the Red Storm staff totaled 12 strikeouts in the shutout effort.
St. John’s will wrap up its regular season road schedule on Sunday afternoon against Villanova.
Stony Brook
Northeastern Huskies baseball used a pair of explosive middle innings to defeat Stony Brook, 15-0, in seven innings on Saturday afternoon.
The Seawolves stayed competitive early behind starter John Rizzo, who worked through four innings while limiting damage despite several Northeastern baserunners. Stony Brook recorded its first hit in the third inning when James Schaffer singled with two outs, while Nick Zampieron later reached on an error.
Northeastern broke the game open in the third inning with four runs before adding eight more in the fifth to create separation.
The Seawolves’ best scoring opportunity came in the fourth when Chanz Doughty roped a ground-rule double for the team’s first extra-base hit of the day. Walks from Chris Carson and Mike Villani loaded the inning with potential, but the Huskies escaped the threat with a strikeout.
Carson later added another hit in the sixth inning, but Northeastern answered with three more runs in the bottom half to secure the run-rule victory.
Stony Brook will conclude the three game series against Northeastern on Sunday afternoon.