NYIT records the final out in game two of the double header, defeating Adelphi 6-1. pic.twitter.com/Qa9lRlutwu
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 29, 2018
NYIT held off Adelphi’s late attempt at a comeback, defeating the Panthers 14-13 in game one of the double header.
After the Panthers grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Bears struck back in powerful fashion. In the top of the fourth, a wild pitch with the bases loaded helped plate NYIT’s first run of the game. Dominic Paolo then drove in another runner with an RBI single.
Starter Ed Baram began to struggle in the fourth after a solid start. Following the Paolo single, Baram gave up an infield RBI single to Nic Lombardi. He then proceeded to walk the next two batters with the bases loaded, plating two more for NYIT and extending the lead to 5-2. Baram was pulled after that, finishing his day going 3.2 innings, giving up eight runs and six hits.
Just when the inning looked over, Jake Lebel knocked a two-run double in the gap. Lebel was a tank for NYIT all day, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI. Lebel’s double was then followed up with a three-run double by Ryan Kuskowski. The Bears would tack on another run in the inning, finishing with 11 total in the fourth and opening up a 11-2 lead.
Kuskowski was solid on the day as well, going 2-for-3 with five RBI, three walks, and two runs scored.
After the fourth inning it was all Panthers. Adelphi climbed back, plating one in the bottom of the fourth and three in the fifth. Offense was not a concern for the Panthers all day. They mustered up 17 hits, with five players knocking more than one hit.
Lawrence Cicileo and Thomas Colombo were key cogs in the comeback attempt for the Panthers. Hitting sixth and seventh in the lineup, they accounted for five of the team’s hits, and six of the RBI. They also scored four runs between the two.
NYIT scored one run in the seventh and eighth to help pad their lead but Adelphi remained close behind. A four run seventh inning brought them to 13-10 with two innings to go.
After both teams scored a run in the eighth, the Panthers came to bat in the bottom of the ninth down three runs. After the leadoff runner reached on an error by the shortstop and a double put two on for pinch hitter Tim O’Connor. He laced a single up the middle, plating two runs and cutting the lead to one with no outs.
O’Connor was replaced by pinch runner Matt Cattani. In the following play, Cattani would be gunned down attempting to steal second base. The base running error would kill Adelphi’s momentum and leave them with nobody on.
Brandon Alberto proceeded to record the final two outs, recording his third save of the year and giving NYIT the 14-13 victory in game one.
In game two the Bears completed the double header sweep against Adelphi, winning 6-1 in seven innings.
Alberto got the nod to pitch game two and he did nothing but shine. In seven innings of work, he surrendered one earned run and six hits.
Head Coach Bob Malvagna was thrilled with his start. “He mixed up his slider with his change up. Kept them off balance. That’s a pretty good hitting team over there. I think he did a great job of keeping them off balance.”
On the other side of the ball, shortstop Ben McNeill continued his success, launching a two-run double to left center to give the Bears the first runs of the game in the third inning. One batter later and the same result happened. This time, Jake Lebel drove a double into right center to plate McNeil, giving NYIT a 3-0 lead.
Mavagna was very happy with the hitting from his hitters the entire day. “We needed to be better with runners in scoring position and we finally broke out today. Putting the ball in play and using the middle of the field. I think that concept got to our guys today.”
Adelphi shortstop Tyler Becker would get one run back for the Panthers with an RBI single in the third but it would not be enough.
In the top of the fourth the Bears broke lose, scoring three more runs to extend their lead to 6-1. This time, the bats of Nic Lombardi and Joey Fusco would get the job done.
Alberto would finish the game strong, completing the seven-inning complete game. His performance and the sweep over Adelphi puts the Bears at 11-23-1 on the season.
