by Mike Anderson
It was a mostly-positive start to the weekend for college baseball on Long Island, as six teams were in action Friday night. The five Div-I teams were back at it, while one Div-II and one Div-III team played as well. Let’s go around the horn to see how everyone did.
Division I:
For the second time today, Kevin Michaels has left the yard!
4-for-5 with two homers, a double and six RBIs
15-4 #SJUBase pic.twitter.com/kFyDNQnbFG
— St. John’s Baseball (@StJohnsBaseball) March 18, 2022
St. John’s blew out Sacred Heart 15-4 to take the first game of their three-game series. After Sacred Heart scored in the top of the first, St. John’s put up seven unanswered runs with three in the first and four in the second. Shortstop Kevin Michaels led the way during this stretch, driving in four of their seven runs.
Despite the run support, starting pitcher Ian Murphy had a short start, only tossing four innings for the Johnnies. He started the fifth, but allowed a home run and back-to-back walks and was then pulled in favor of reliever Ben Adams. Adams gave St. John’s bulk, as he tossed 3.2 innings, allowing only one earned run on two hits.
The offense exploded again in the bottom of the fifth, when they put up six more, starting with a Michaels home run. The rest of the game was steady, and Michaels punctuated it with his second home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth.
The Johnnies lineup scattered 18 hits across the yard, and all nine hitters reached base. Michaels and right fielder Carlos Hidalgo both led the team with four hits, and Michaels collected six RBIs on the day. The top six hitters all drove in a run.
St. John’s is now 3-14 on the year, and 2-3 at home. Game two between these teams is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Saturday, but the weather may force a scheduling change.
Marist defeated Fordham by a score of 10-4 to win the opener of their three-game series. Marist jumped out to a 3-0 lead, as they played “small ball” early. Center fielder Reece Armitage doubled home the first run, and shortstop Dylan Hoy drove in a pair of runs with a sacrifice fly and a ground out.
Fordham’s starter Brooks Ey settled down and turned in a quality start, allowing just one earned run in six innings pitched. He struck out seven and walked three. His settling down opened the door for a Fordham comeback, and they did just that.
They scored on an error in the bottom of the third, and then left fielder Ryan Thiesse cut the deficit to one with a homer in the fifth. They took the lead in the bottom of the sixth with some small ball of their own. Pinch-hitter Ryan Mexico singled into left, and then a misplay by the left fielder scored the tying run. Freshman first baseman TJ Wachter then cashed in with an RBI single to put Fordham in front.
Marist came back in the top of the eighth to even up the score. With the bases loaded, second baseman Nathan Linco drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game at four. Fordham escaped trouble, and the score stayed that way through regulation.
The game went to extra innings and was settled in the 11th, when Marist had an offensive explosion. Right fielder Ethan Farino broke the tie with a two-run double, and then Marco Ali blew the game open with a three-run double. A sixth run gave them a double-digit run performance, and a scoreless inning from Nick Cantone shut the door for Marist.
Cantone went 6.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits. He got the win, as he struck out five while giving Marist bulk out of the bullpen.
The two teams are scheduled to rematch Saturday at 1:00 p.m., weather-permitting. Fordham is now 2-13, looking to get things on track.
Hofstra split a doubleheader on Saturday, playing two different opponents. They won game one, 3-1, against Manhattan College. It was a pitcher’s duel, as Mark Faello toed the rubber for Hofstra and hurled 6.2 innings, allowing just one unearned run in the process. Opposite him, Will Hesslink tossed seven innings of one-run ball.
First baseman Steve Harrington started the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth. However, Manhattan College finally clutched up in the top of the seventh, as Dolan Ocasal scored the tying run on a passed ball.
B4 | Steve Harrington gives #Hofstra a 1-0 lead with one swing! #RoarWithPride pic.twitter.com/b8v26H2mEn
— Hofstra Baseball (@HofstraBaseball) March 18, 2022
In the bottom of the eighth, catcher Kevin Bruggeman delivered the big blow, as he broke the tie with a two-run homer to left. Leading 3-1 in the top of the ninth, Hofstra turned to Mike McKenna, who threw a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning. McKenna collected his second save of the season, improving Hofstra to 7-5.
Game two saw none of that luck for Hofstra, as the visiting Merrimack College blew them out 10-0. The game looked to be another pitcher’s duel until Merrimack’s bats woke up.
In the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, left fielder Michael Golankiewicz drew first blood with a grand slam.
Finally handed a lead, starting pitcher Wyatt Villella dominated his opponents. He pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just six hits and two walks, fanning three. His pitching allowed the lead to grow, as Merrimack put up three in the third, a pair in the seventh, and one in the eighth. By that point, it was over.
Villella earned his first win of the year, while Merrimack improved to 3-8-1. Hofstra now sits at 7-6, and will have a day off on Saturday. They will be in action again on Sunday, and they will host Merrimack for a morning-afternoon doubleheader. First pitches will be at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively.
LIU blew out Iona, 14-4, behind a dominant outing from Joshua Loeschorn. The offense also showed, racking up 16 hits to back their ace.
After a scoreless three innings from both sides, LIU broke out in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of two-run singles by left fielder Seth Surrett and shortstop EJ Exposito gave LIU a 4-0 lead. They scored another four in the next inning, and three of them came on one massive swing from catcher Colin Adams. The bottom of the sixth was their biggest inning, as they scored five more to extend the lead to 13-0.
Loeschorn’s shutout was broken up with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but it barely took away from his final line. He finished the game with just two earned runs allowed on four hits, while striking out 15 batters and walking none. He earned the win, improving himself to 5-0 on the year.
Third baseman Christopher Wasson and center fielder Giovanni Ciaccio both led the lineup with three hits each, while Adams had four RBIs to lead the team.
LIU is now 9-8 with a chance for more. They have an off day on Saturday, and will play a doubleheader Sunday against Iona. Iona is still looking for their first win of the year, currently 0-12. First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 11:00 a.m..
Stony Brook is now on their first winning streak of the year, as they beat UMass Lowell 6-4 in their first conference game of the year. The team played a balanced game, with good pitching and timely hitting.
B-Pat with the 🪝
He strikes out the side in the eighth!
🌊🐺 x #NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/JKEUjv8qqR
— Stony Brook Baseball (@StonyBrookBASE) March 18, 2022
Ben Fero made his third start of the year for Stony Brook and gave them the best start of his career. He went 6.1 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits. He struck out four and walked one.
The offense was clutch to support Fero, as they scored four of their six runs with two outs. Left fielder Matt Brown-Eiring started the scoring with an RBI double against the shift in the bottom of the first. Third baseman Robert Gallagher tied the game with a home run to lead off the fourth, but Evan Giordano answered with an RBI single. Freshman DH David Alleva poked a two-run single over third base with two outs to make it 4-1. In the bottom of the sixth, solo home runs by Brett Paulsen and Cole Durkan made it 6-1.
Lowell slowly climbed back, and cut the deficit to just two runs with a leadoff solo homer in the top of the ninth. However, Brendan Patterman finished strong, and finished the game for Stony Brook to secure the win. He struck out five without a walk in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen.
Stony Brook is now 5-11, and 1-0 in America East play. They are scheduled to play again on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., looking to secure the series win versus UMass Lowell.
Division II:
Molloy College swept a doubleheader against Dominican College to give themselves a three-game winning streak. A pair of dominant performances continued their hot start, as they feasted on the struggling Dominican.
Game one saw 17 hits from Molloy, as they won 8-4. Bobby Garbuio hit a two-run homer in the top of the first inning to give Dominican a 2-0 lead. Molloy was not phased, as their offense strung together a couple of run scoring hits to take a 3-2 lead in the second inning. Shane Hewlette tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, making it 3-3.
In the bottom of the fourth, Chris Peralta gave Molloy the lead back with a sacrifice fly. Then David Franchi singled home a run to make it 5-3. Dominican pulled within a run in the top of the fifth, but Molloy finally ran away with it afterwards. A three-spot in the fifth gave them a four-run lead, which they never looked back from.
Reliever Brian Morrisey entered the game in the top of the sixth inning and gave Molloy stability, tossing four scoreless innings while preserving Molloy’s extended lead. He slammed the door, and Molloy won the opener.
Three different players had three hits, while starter Charlie Cucchiara earned the win.
Game two was a much more dominant performance, as Molloy won 10-2. They drew first blood with a pair in the first, and tacked on another run in the second.
Starter Mike Andreoli gave them six strong innings, allowing only two earned runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked three.
Dominican found the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, but Molloy blew the game open with five in the bottom of the fifth. After taking an 8-1 lead, Molloy went into cruise-control. They scored another two in the bottom of the sixth before Richard Gennaro finished the game in the top of the seventh. They won game two by a score of 10-2, with the offense providing another 15 hits.
Left fielder Anthony Manisero, who was not in the lineup for the first game, went 4-for-4 to lead the lineup. Ten different position players recorded at-bats for Molloy on Friday, and nine of them hit safely.
Molloy is now 13-4 and will have a day off before returning to action Sunday. They will host Dominican for game three, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
Division III:
Bethel University defeated United States Merchant Marine Academy 13-6 on Friday, as they improved to 9-2.
Catcher Noah Wenberg started the scoring with an RBI single in the bottom of the first. Center fielder Caleb Brandt followed him with a run-scoring single, and Bethel led 2-0 after one. USMMA halved the deficit on an RBI single by Garrett Clapsaddle. However, that was the closest the game would get.
Bethel scored four runs between the second and third innings to take a 6-1 lead. Clapsaddle singled home another run in the fourth inning to start a miniature rally, as USMMA plated a pair to make it 6-3. Right fielder Matthew Carlsen answered with a two-run homer to make it 8-3 Bethel.
After USMMA DH Tyler Reistetter hit an RBI single to make the score 8-4, Bethel exploded. Their bats provided four runs in the sixth and another in the seventh, headlined by an RBI triple by first baseman Keenan Hodgkin. Bethel went up by nine, and the game was out of reach. USMMA scored two garbage time runs to make the score 13-6, and that wound up being the final score.
USMMA fell to 3-8 with the loss, but will have a chance to bounce back tomorrow, assuming the weather holds up. They are scheduled to take on the University of Wisconsin-Stout tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m..
