THROGGS NECK, N.Y. - Skyline Conference Semifinals ... here we come!

The Purchase College baseball team prevailed in the First Round of the playoffs Wednesday evening, topping the College of Mount Saint Vincent in a pitching dual, 2-1.

The win was fueled on the mound by Myles Scarry (JR/Levittown, NY), who tossed his seventh complete game this year, and at the plate by Jemal Betances (SR/Bronx, NY), who scored both runs and hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth.

While Purchase emerged victorious, the early portion of the game favored the hosts, as they scored their lone run of the contest on a solo homer in the second inning.

On the mound, the Dolphins' ace Andrew Geiger (SR/Naples, FL) was dealing too, as he finished with 17 strikeouts and allowed just one hit through the first five innings.

Despite the dominance of the hosts early on, Scarry, who pitched on just three days rest, kept the Panthers in the ball game.

The Blue and Orange rewarded his amazing outing in the top of the sixth, when Tyler Della Mura (FR/Rye Brook, NY) crushed an RBI-double to left center field, easily scoring Betances to tie the game up at 1-1.

Mount Saint Vincent nearly got the run right back in the bottom half of the inning, as it loaded the bases with just one out.

However, a Scarry strikeout got the Panthers to two outs, before Sam Saltzman (SO/Old Bethpage, NY) made a highlight reel catch at the wall to end the inning and swing the momentum Purchase's way.

Following a scoreless seventh inning and a lead-off out in the eighth, Betances lived up to his title of senior captain by blasting a massive solo home run to make the contest, 2-1.

Now with the lead, the Panthers needed to hold on for just six more outs. 

Following a lead-off single and stolen base by the Dolphins, Scarry remained just as effective as ever, collecting three straight outs to end the threat in the eighth.

Three more outs to go. 

While head coach Adam Taraska had arms warming up in the pen just in case, Scarry rewarded Taraska's belief in him with a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth to seal the playoff victory for the Panthers.

Overall, Scarry allowed just five hits in the win, while striking out eight in the complete-game effort. At the plate, the Blue and Orange compiled five hits and two walks.

Up next for the Panthers are the Skyline Conference Semifinals.

Unlike the first round, the semis will be played in a round-robin format, as Purchase will open up against the No. 2 seeded Privateers of Maritime College on May 12.

That game should begin around 2 p.m., and depending on if the Panthers win or lose, they will either: A) play again that night or B) Play the following day on May 13. 

All the semifinal and championship games will be played on the campus of St. Joseph's University-Long Island in Patchogue, NY.