UNIONDALE, N.Y. (Mar. 27, 2015) - Trailing 1-0 in the top of the eighth, the LIU Post baseball team scored two unanswered runs late in the ballgame to defeat East Coast Conference rival Molloy, 2-1, at the Mitchel Field Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Friday.

Freshman pitcher Vinny Ruggiero (Plainview, N.Y.) earned his first collegiate win with a perfect eighth inning, while junior Dillon Burke (Plainview, N.Y.) picked up his first save with a one-two-three ninth.

After Molloy (8-10, 2-3 ECC) scored in the bottom of the first, the Pioneers (6-5, 4-1 ECC) put runners on, but couldn't find a way to get on the board.

Sophomore Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) continued to battle, as the righty tossed 7.0 innings, scattering three hits, striking out a season-high 10 batters and allowing one unearned run. His 10 strikeouts were the most in a single game since former Pioneer Mike Eckerle fanned 12 Mercy hitters last season.

In the eighth, graduate outfielder Vinny Iacono (Nesconset, N.Y.) got things going for the Pioneers with a one-out double. Sophomore Thomas Asbaty (Randolph, N.J.) moved Iacono over with a productive groundout, and red-shirt senior Anthony Brunetti (Bayville, N.Y.) reached with an infield single that scored Iacono. It was Brunetti's fourth hit on the afternoon.

Ruggiero pitched a perfect eighth, and the stage was set for a dramatic finish.

With one out, senior Rick Alessi (St. James, N.Y.) tripled to right field, putting the go-ahead run just 90 feet away. A few pitches later, Alessi would score on a wild pitch, giving the green and gold a 2-1 advantage.

In the ninth, Burke came in and slammed the door, striking out two of the three batters he faced. The lefty has now thrown eight straight scoreless innings in relief.

Brunetti finished 4-for-4 with an RBI. Alessi had two knocks and a run scored. Iacono and Asbaty also added hits in the win.

Head Coach Mike Gaffney and the Pioneers are back at it on Saturday (Mar. 28), when they resume their four-game set with Molloy. The two teams will square off in a doubleheader starting at noon at the LIU Post Baseball Field in Brookville.