UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The LIU Post baseball team suffered two narrow setbacks in East Coast Conference play as they came up short against Molloy College 3-2 and 3-1 April 28.
 
Senior Joe Spitaleri, junior Michael Manzione, and freshman Michael Greene recorded three hits apiece, with Spitaleri and Greene tallying the only two runs batted in of the day for the Pioneers.
 
On the mound, the Pioneer pitching staff was solid as sophomore Noah Lorenzo tossed a complete game in the opener, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs. Freshman Josephn Valentino and sophomore Mike Stiles combined for six innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits in game two but the efforts were not enough for LIU Post.
 
Game One – Molloy 3, LIU Post 2
 
Greene recorded the only multi-hit game for the Pioneers in game one, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. The offense stalled for much of the game, however, as Molloy's Kevin Hiss held LIU Post scoreless through seven innings.
 
The Lion offense gave Hiss an early lead when Molloy took the lead in the second inning and added a run in the third on an RBI-single. The Lions tacked on their final run in the fifth inning with another RBI-single to take a 3-0 advantage just past the midway point of the contest.
 
The Green and Gold got on the board in the eighth inning on an RBI-groundout by Spitaleri. The Pioneer threat was halted, however, as Hiss stranded two runners in scoring position to end the frame. LIU Post threatened again in the ninth when Manzione doubled to left-center field with one out. Junior Anthony Vaglica walked in the following at-bat and Greene delivered a clutch double to left-center field, but got a bit unlucky as the ball skipped over the outfield fence for a ground-rule double, allowing Vaglica to advance just two bases. Shawn Klotcsche again worked out of the jam, stranding both runners in scoring position to end the threat and help Molloy hang on for the 3-2 final.
 
Game Two – Molloy 3, LIU Post 1
 
The Pioneers again struggled offensively, tallying five hits in the backend of the doubleheader, leaving five men on base. Despite the struggled, LIU Post took the lead in the top of the first after Spitaleri stole third base and scored on a throwing error on the play. The Pioneers advanced just two runners into scoring position from there, however, as Molloy shut down the bats the rest of the way.
 
On the other side, Molloy leveled the scoring in the second inning on an RBI-single by Sean Hogan and took the lead later in the frame on another RBI-single by Jake McCarthy. The Lions tacked on another run in the third in what proved to be all the offense that Timothy Panetta needed, tossing a complete game for the win.
 
The Pioneers will look to bounce back tomorrow in the series finale with the Lions, as the fourth and final game of the series will take place at the LIU Post Baseball Field with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.