Tribunes split twinbill with Alfred

ROCHESTER - The MCC baseball team played its home opener on Sunday and split a doubleheader with Alfred State College.

The Tribunes (4-10) won the first game 12-2 in five innings. The Pioneers then rebounded to take the nightcap, 16-12.

MCC scored three in the third, five in the fourth, and three more in the fifth in the opener to win by way of the mercy rule. David Vaccaro was a force at the plate, finishing 4-for-4 with three RBIs.

Tied at 1 entering the bottom of the third, Vaccaro got things started with a triple before scoring on a double by Angel Diaz. Luke Brust plated Diaz with a single, and Brust came around to score on a base hit by Andrew Segar.

After Alfred scratched across an unearned run in the top of the fourth, MCC came through with five in the bottom half to take a commanding lead.

Michael Pringle reached on an error and moved to second on a base hit by Ellington Hopkins. After a walk to Jimmy Latona, Vaccaro singled to drive in a run and make it 5-2.

Diaz then cleared the bases with a triple, and Tommy LaCongo followed with a run-scoring single to make it 9-2.

The Tribunes ended the game in the fifth on a 2-run double from Hopkins and an RBI single from Vaccaro.

Tom Mastrodonato got the win on the hill, allowing just one unearned run while striking out six over three innings of work. David Lawrence struck out three over the final two frames.

Diaz and Hopkins finished with two hits apiece, with Diaz driving home four runs. 

Game two was a wild affair that saw Alfred State score four in the top of the first, MCC counter with seven in the bottom half, and the Pioneers erupting for eight more in the top of the second.

Down 4-0 before their first at bat, the Tribunes responded with seven in the bottom of the first. Vaccaro knocked in two with a seeing-eye single through the left side, and two runs came home later on a Pioneer error.

Hunter Merrill tripled home two more and Pringle plated another with a hit as MCC finished with seven runs on seven hits in the frame.

Alfred State came back in a big way in the top of the second, utilizing five hits, two hit batters, and two walks to score eight runs. The inning was highlighted by a three-run homer from David Zuber.

Monroe did get two back in the bottom half on hits from Diaz and Matt Brooks, but Alfred tacked on one in the third and three in the fourth to take a lead it would not relinquish.

Merrill and Pringle each went 3-for-4 to lead MCC in game two. Vaccaro added two hits and three RBIs, and Latona and Diaz had a pair of hits as well.

The Tribunes are in action at home again on Monday, taking on Tompkins Cortland CC in a 2 p.m. doubleheader.