Brookhaven, N.Y. - On Thursday afternoon, Molloy College senior hurler Max Schonfeld (East Meadow, N.Y.) pitched an absolute masterpiece to help the Lions' baseball squad defeat St. Thomas Aquinas College on Day 1 of the East Coast Conference Championship Tournament, 6-1 at Golden Lions Field in Brookhaven, N.Y. Schonfeld was simply dominant. He threw a complete game, surrendering just one run on eight hits. That one run was unearned, lowering his season's ERA to a slim 1.61. With the victory, the third-seeded Lions improved to 20-22 overall, while the second-seeded Spartans fell to 30-15.
Molloy will face the top-seeded Dowling College in the winner's bracket tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Golden Lions Field.
The Lions scored twice in the top of the first with RBI singles off the bats of freshman third baseman Kevin Podell (Wantagh, N.Y.) and junior left fielder John Galanoudis (Farmingdale, N.Y.). Molloy's third run came in the fourth frame when freshman DH Ronald Bauer (Hicksville, N.Y.) doubled in sophomore first baseman Nicholas Gonchar (Staten Island, N.Y.).
The Spartans scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth via an RBI single from Derek Hirsch.
The Lions plated their final three runs of the afternoon in the top of the seventh via an RBI double from junior catcher Kyle Van Duyne (Sayville, N.Y.) and a two-run single from Podell.
Head Coach Joe Fucarino and the Lions will play Dowling tomorrow in the winner's bracket with first pitch set for 12 p.m. The winner of that contest will advance to the ECC Championship Game on Saturday. The loser will play at 3 p.m. tomorrow versus the winner of the St. Thomas Aquinas/Bridgeport contest (with that game set for 9 a.m. tomorrow).
Provided by the Molloy Sports Information Department.
