La PLUME, Pa. – The Keystone College baseball team dropped a 10-8 decision to visiting Misericordia University on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action.
The game was televised locally by Fox 56 Sports on WQMY-TV.
With the defeat, Keystone drops to 15-12 overall while the Cougars improve to 26-10. Misericordia is ranked No. 6 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Keystone gave up two runs in the first, third and fourth and one in fifth to fall behind 7-0. Junior Joe Fichera (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) scored on a wild pitch and senior Chris Panzarella (Hazle Township, Pa./Hazleton Area) drove in senior Mohammed Hussein (Queens, NY/William C. Bryant) on a single up the middle to make it a 7-2 ballgame in the fifth.
The sixth inning was all Keystone, as the Giants scored six runs. Junior Nick Carlini (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) went deep to left to make it a 7-3 contest and Fichera came through with a two-run single through the left side to plate freshman Devin Reed (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area)and senior Johann Paniagua (Bronx, NY/James Monroe Campus High School), making it 7-5.
Hussein ripped a double down the left field line to score junior Ryan Callahan (Highland Mills, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) and Panzarella plated Hussein as the Giants grabbed their first lead of the game, 8-7.
However, the Cougars went on to score two in the seventh and one more in the eight to hand the Giants the tough 10-8 non-conference loss.
Keystone enjoyed 12 hits on the day as Hussein and Panzarella combined to go 6-for-9 with four RBI and two runs scored at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Hussein also collected his 100th career hit on the day.
Fichera finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
On the hill, junior righty Jared Rowley (Dover, Del./Dover) earned the start and went 3 1/3 frames, throwing 81 pitches while striking out four. Junior Zabdiel Parilla (Reading, Pa./Reading), freshman Jordan Montes (Tampa, Fla./Sickles), senior Christopher Adams (Brooklyn, NY/Franklin K. Lane) and junior Ramon Disla (Bronx, N.Y./Alfred E. Smith) all appeared out of the bullpen and combined for five strikeouts.