On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we saw plenty of competitive college baseball games on Long Island with some conference rivals going at it.
Here’s how it went down:
Division-I:
Trailing by three runs heading into the bottom of the 8th, St. John’s came back to defeat Xavier 9-8 in 14 innings. With the victory, St. John’s avenges their Friday loss and improves their record to 19-12 on the season. Although their pitching performance wasn’t the greatest, St. John’s combined for 16 hits at the plate and shut down the Xavier offense in the late innings. After surrendering eight runs in the first six innings, The St. John’s bullpen allowed no earned runs and three hits in the final eight innings. Turner French picked up the victory in relief. At the plate, Mike Antico and Wyatt Mascarella both collected three hits and three RBI each. St. John’s plays Xavier in a rubber match today at noon.
Hofstra dropped their 24th game of the season to Towson on Saturday afternoon by a score of 5-2. Although they held Towson to six hits all game, they couldn’t string hits together when it mattered most. The Pride hope to snap their three-game losing streak in the final game of the series against Towson today at noon.
After being shutout on Friday, Fordham bounced back in a big way as they triumphed to an 11-1 victory over VCU. From the start of this game, the Rams wasted no time putting runs on the board. Along with having 14 hits, they scored a run in the first seven innings of the game. John Stankiewicz picked up his 6th victory of the season, pitching six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out five. At the plate, Jason Coules and Nick Labella both had three hits and Matt Tarbeck went 2-4 with two RBI. They play the rubber match of the series against VCU today at 1 PM.
Stony Brook split a double header with Binghamton on Saturday afternoon, as their record now stands at 19-11 on the season. In game one of the double header, Stony Brook rallied in the late innings as they defeated Binghamton 7-6. Trailing by two heading into the 9th inning, Michael Wilson and Brandon Alamo both cashed in RBI to tie the game up at six a piece. Nick Grande drove in the go ahead run in the top of the 10th, ultimately providing them with the victory. Grande finished 2-5 with an RBI in game one. Sam Turcotte picked up his third win of the season in relief, tossing two shutout innings.
After a comeback victory in game one, the Stony Brook offense didn’t have the same fire power in game two as they were shut out 5-0. Although Stony Brook had eight hits, they couldn’t execute with runners in scoring position. The Seawolves hope to shake off their game two loss in a rubber match against Binghamton today at 9 AM.
Division-II:
In an ECC clash, Molloy and Queens split a double header on Saturday afternoon. In game one of the double header, Molloy won in walk off fashion by a score of 5-4 in ten innings. The fascinating part about this victory was the way it ended. After surrendering a lead in the 8th inning, Molloy came through in the bottom of the 10th. Chris Peralta answered the call at the plate with a rare walk off inside the park home run to provide the Lions with the victory. Anthony Pedraita picked up his third win of the season in relief.
Game two of the double header panned out with different results, as Queens defeated Molloy 4-1. From the beginning of game two, Queens was in control of this one. Dylan Hughes earned his third victory of the season on the mound, tossing five innings allowing one earned run on three hits. John Rodopoulos picked up the two-inning save out of the bullpen. Jon Strauss and Joe O’Rourke both had two hits each for Queens. Molloy and Queens play in a rubber match today at noon.
After dropping game one of the series on Friday, NYIT bounced back in a big way on Saturday as they swept Mercy in a double header. They dominated both games. In game one of the double header, NYIT won 8-3. Stringing together 13 hits, NYIT was clicking on all cylinders offensively. John LaRocca led the charge at the plate, going 4-5 with three RBI. Kieran Dowd went 3-5. DJ Masuck earned the complete game victory, as he allowed one earned run, six hits and punched out five.
In game two of the double header, NYIT had another convincing victory as they won 5-1. Once again, their offense proved to be their strength on Saturday. EJ Cumbo was a force at the plate in game two, as he went 2-2 with three RBI and a walk. Joseph Murphy picked up his sixth win of the season, as he pitched six innings surrendering four hits and no earned runs. With the victory, NYIT improves to 22-7 on the season. They look to take the series against Mercy today at noon.
Division-III:
On Saturday afternoon, Farmingdale swept Old Westbury in a double header. In game one, Farmingdale won 3-2. This victory was capped by a go-ahead run in the top of the 8th. Anthony Visconte picked up the win in relief. In game two, Farmingdale exploded offensively, winning 13-2. This win was capped by a seven-run 7th inning. Steven Burke picked up his fourth victory of the season for the Rams. With the sweep, Farmingdale improves to 22-6 on the season. As for Old Westbury, they fall to 14-12-1 on the season.
