HAMDEN, Conn. (May 16, 2023) – Sam Mongelli (Marlboro, N.Y.) cracked his 14^th and 15^th homers of the season on Tuesday afternoon, but a late comeback attempt by the Sacred Heart University baseball team came up short on the road, in a 7-6 loss at Quinnipiac. Mongelli has now hit more home runs in a season than any other Pioneer in the program's Division I era, and has tied for the second-most in a season by a SHU player all-time. Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.) homered in the game as well.
 
Mongelli got Sacred Heart (23-27) started early in the non-conference affair at Quinnipiac Baseball Field, as he went deep to right-center with two outs and nobody on in the top of the first. The Pios pushed the lead out to 3-0 in the top of the fourth, when a pair of walks set the table before Nick Jaskolski (Seaford, N.Y.) drove in a run with a groundout and John Greene (Naugatuck, Conn.) poked an RBI single through the right side.
 
Quinnipiac (25-24) got one back in the fourth on Sebastian Mueller's 14^th homer of the season, and then surged out front with two in the sixth and three more in the seventh. The Bobcats utilized the long ball in both innings, as Anthony Donofrio hit a solo shot for his 14^th of the year in the sixth, and then clubbed his team-leading 15^th of the campaign with a pivotal two-run shot in the seventh.
 
SHU closed the gap to 6-5 in the eighth, when Mongelli launched his second homer of the afternoon, a two-run job to left field. It was also Mongelli's 80^th hit of the season, which puts him one away from the program record in that department. Quinnipiac tacked on an important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, as Keegan O'Connor singled, went first-to-third on a single by Braydon Seaburg and then scored on a double-play ball.
 
The run loomed large, as D'Amore hit a mammoth solo home run to left-center with one out in the ninth, for his second of the year. The Pios would get the tying run to second with two outs, but Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) was called out on strikes to end the ballgame.
 
Right-hander Jake McDowell (Brookfield, Conn.) made his strongest start of the season, as he allowed just one run on three hits and pair of walks, with two strikeouts, over five innings of work. Right-hander Charlie Costello (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) suffered the loss (4-2) as he surrendered four runs on five hits over two innings out of the bullpen.
 
Right-hander Aaron Zenus lasted just 3.2 innings on the mound for the Bobcats, and ceded three runs on three hits and five walks, against just one strikeout. Right-hander Frank Craska (2-1) threw a scoreless seventh to pick up the win. Left-hander Matt Alduino came on to start the eighth and notched his first career save, despite allowing three runs on three hits and two walks, though he did strike out five over two innings.
 
SHU clinched its spot in the NEC Championship while idle over the weekend, and will wrap up the regular season later this week, with a three-game series at Merrimack, set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.