Rolando Alvarez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional ) allowed just two hits and tossed his first complete game of the 2019 season but the Lincoln University baseball team's offense could not back him up as Molloy College earned a 2-0 win to sweep their East Coast Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Mitchel Field in Uniondale, New York.
 
Jason Aldred (Clinton, Md./Henry A. Wise ) hit his first collegiate home run while Aiden Gomes (Bronx, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) and RJ Liverpool (Richmond, Va./Monacan) had two hits apiece as Molloy (6-15, 3-4 ECC) defeated the Lions (1-18, 0-6 ECC) 15-2 in the opening game of the twinbill.
 
Sheldon Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) had two of Lincoln's four hits in the second game while Alvarez struck out five in six innings pitched, allowing just the two hits and two runs.
 
Alvarez faced the minimum number of batters through 2.1 innings, with MC's Nick Marino getting thrown out by LU catcher Max Guadalupe (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bluefield College) trying to steal to end the second inning after getting hit by a pitch.   Two walks in the inning, a throwing error by Guadalupe and Molloy's first hit of the game, a double by Jake Saltzman produced Molloy's only runs of the game.
 
Molloy threatened again in the fifth, loading the bases on three walks by Alvarez but the junior pitcher got Sean Hogan to ground out and end the threat. 
 
Lincoln mounted their own threat in the sixth as Sheldon Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) led off with a single and Guadalupe was hit by a pitch.  Grant Lindsay drew a two out walk to load the bases but the Lions left all three runners as Kendall Bonner (Mattison, Ill./Rich Central ) struck out looking to end the inning.
 
Alvarez allowed his second hit in the bottom of the sixth but finished the inning unscathed.  Liverpool walked to start the seventh and was sacrificed to second by Jalil Banks (Lynwood, Ill./Thornton Fractional South).  The Lions however were unable to advance the runner as Molloy reliever Lucas Burton got the final two outs to end the game.
 
Joe Minucci earned the win for Molloy, allowing four hits wile striking out eight in six inning pitched.  Burton earned the save.
 
In the opener, Jordan Whisler (Parkesburg, Pa./Octorara Area) gave up seven runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings in the Lions' 15-2 loss.  Whisler struck out six and walked three before yielding to Luis Nieves (Staten Island, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) who closed out the game.
 
Molloy jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Marino's one-out two run home run to left field.  The Lions came right back with a run in the top half of the third as Johnson doubled down the left field line and Gomes followed with a single to centerfield as Johnson scored on the throw, cutting the Molloy lead to 2-1.
 
A single run in the third and four more in the fifth staked Molloy to a 7-1 lead. The home squad put the game away in the eighth, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs on seven hits while taking advantage of two Lincoln fielding errors to lead 15-1.
 
Aldred's solo home run, a two-out first pitch shot to left field completed the scoring.
 
Marino and McCarthy had three hits and three RBI apiece to pace the Molloy offense.  James Murphy earned the win, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, striking out nine and allowing six hits.
  
Lincoln and Molloy will play the final game of their four game series on Sunday, March 31, 2019 at Mitchel Field.  First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.