BOX SCORE

Kellin Bliss pitched a complete game shutout and Alvin Mata had another big day at the plate to help Baruch record a 7-0 shutout against Defiance College (Ohio) in a non-conference contest on Thursday afternoon in Fort Myers, Florida.

The victory keeps the Bearcats undefeated at 3-0, while Defiance from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) drops to 0-3.

The Bearcats were scheduled to begin the day by playing St. Joseph’s College of Long Island in a morning single game scheduled for 10:00 am, but due to heavy rain, the game was postponed and rescheduled to Sunday, March 13, at 4:00 pm, in Fort Myers.

The heavy morning rain also forced the game time against Defiance to be moved from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. As a result, the two teams were able to play later in the day without any weather issues.

The Bearcats broke open a scoreless affair in the fifth inning with Mata reaching base on a single, stealing second base, and coming around to quickly score on an RBI single by Thomas Daly for the 1-0 score.

In the seventh inning, Mata had the big hit again with a double to clear the bases for three RBI for a 4-0 score.

The Bearcats began the eighth inning with Marcos Mejia hitting a long triple and he came around to score on a RBI single by Jonathan Ovalles. Ovalles would later score on a wild pitch and Richard Melendez hit an RBI single to score John Yuksekol to help finish off the 7-0 victory.

Bliss controlled the entire game with seven strikeouts and nine hits allowed to begin his season on a positive note with a shutout. Mata finished the game batting 3-for-4, with two doubles and three total RBI. He is currently batting 10-for-14 (.714), with six doubles and seven total RBI.

The Bearcats will continue play in Fort Myers on Friday, March 11, with a 9:00 am non-conference doubleheader against the State University of New York at Fredonia.