by Daniel Lopes
It was a jam-packed day of college baseball on Saturday, as 12 teams combined to play 23 games today, including 11 doubleheaders. In total, St. John’s, Hofstra, LIU, Stony Brook, Fordham, Molloy, Adelphi, Queens, Farmingdale State, Old Westbury, St. Joseph’s, and Maritime played.
Division I:
St. John’s 9, Rider 0 (7 Innings)
Aside from two innings in this game, it was largely a pitcher’s duel. St. John’s scored all nine of their runs in two innings, and Brandon Backman, Jake Alfaro, and Dylan Johnson combined to throw a four-hit shutout.
After two scoreless innings to start, St. John’s broke through for four runs in the top of the third inning. Jackson Tucker started the scoring with a two-run single, scoring Max Shabestari and Jayson Kramer. Tucker came across to score later in the inning, scoring on a single from Tate Ballestero. On the next batter, Kevin Michaels capped off the scoring for the inning with another RBI single.
They added onto their lead even more in the top of the sixth inning, scoring five runs. After loading the bases, Tucker drew a walk, getting his third RBI of the game. The next batter, David Glancy, put an exclamation point on the game, hitting a grand slam to push the lead to 9-0.
The group of Backman, Alfaro, and Johnson were dominant, only allowing the four hits and striking out 12 batters with no walks or hit batsmen. Backman got the win, and Frank Doelling was tagged with the loss for Rider.
St. John’s 6, Rider 13
Rider finally found its stride at the plate in the second game, scoring a run in all but two innings. They got their scoring started in the bottom of the first, putting up four runs. Socrates Bardatsos drove the first two runners in with a double to center field. He scored on a single from Luke Lesch, and Brendan O’Donnell finished the scoring for the inning with an RBI sacrifice fly.
They combined to score four more runs between second and fourth innings on a pair of groundouts, a throwing error, and an RBI single from Bardatsos in the fourth inning, pushing Rider’s lead to 8-2. After St. John’s scored their third run in the top of the sixth inning, Lesch responded in a big way, hitting a grand slam to give Rider a 12-2 lead.
The bats didn’t slow down for St. John’s, as they scored four more runs in the game, but they could not complete the comeback. Despite the loss, Jayson Kramer had an impressive day at the plate, going 2-5 with a home run and an RBI double. David Glancy also hit his second home run of the day, this time a solo shot.
Sonny Fauci took the loss for St. John’s, allowing five runs in two innings. Vincent Vitacco got the win on the mound for Rider.
Hofstra 0, College of Charleston 4
Both starting pitchers were impressive in this game, as Daniel Brooks and Tristan Nemjo traded scoreless frames on the mound for the first five innings. Nemjo was the first to slip, allowing a solo home run to Donald Hansis in the top of the sixth inning, giving Charleston the 1-0 lead.
While they would only need the one run to win, they added three insurance runs in the last three wins. Joseph Mershon scored on a fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh inning. In the ninth inning, Brody Hopkins scored after Cam Dean reached on an error. Dean scored on the next play after Sam Cochrane hit a double to push Charleston’s lead to 4-0.
Hofstra’s bats struggled against Brooks and William Privette, who relieved him for the last three innings. The two combined for nine strikeouts and two walks, allowing only six hits. Brooks got the win, Privette got the save, and Nemjo took the loss for Hofstra.
Hofstra 7, College of Charleston 6
It seemed as if the pitching would continue to control the game for both teams in the second game, as both offenses went scoreless for the first four innings. Charleston once again broke through first in the top of the fifth inning, as Joseph Mershon hit a triple and scored on an error in the same play.
Charleston added two more in the top of the sixth before Hofstra scored their first run of the day, an RBI single from Anthony D’Onofrio. This opened up the floodgates for Hofstra, as they scored three more in the inning. Brain Morrell drove in Santino Rosso with a sacrifice fly, and Nick Marrero gave Hofstra the lead with a two-run home run.
Both teams went back and forth again in the seventh inning, as Charleston started by taking a 6-4 lead on a three-run home run by Trotter Harlan. D’Onofrio stayed hot for Hofstra in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game at six with a two-run double.
Both teams went scoreless in the eighth inning, and Michael O’Hanlon held Charleston scoreless in the top of the ninth. In the bottom half of the inning, Steve Harrington played the role of hero again for Hofstra, hitting his second walkoff home run of the season.
O’Hanlon got the win for his efforts, and Cole Mathis took the loss for Charleston.
LIU 4, Merrimack College 5
LIU got on the board early in this game, scoring in the bottom of the first when Giovanni Ciaccio drove in Michael Edelman with a single. The two put together another run in the third inning, this time on the basepaths. Ciaccio stole second and Edelman scored when there was a throwing error on the play.
Both offenses went silent until the top of the seventh inning, when Merrimack tied the game on a two-run triple from Scott Elliott. They took a 3-2 later in the inning, when Elliott came across on an error from LIU. LIU responded back in the bottom half of the inning, taking the lead back on a two-run single from Colin Adams.
They held onto the lead until the top of the ninth inning. With Nick Torres on the mound for LIU, Merrimack rallied and took a 5-4 lead on a two-run single from Braydon Dolbashian. LIU loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t get the big hit, grounding into a double play to end the game.
Torres took the loss for LIU, and Peyton Heisner got the win for Merrimack.
Stony Brook 9, Hartford 5
Stony Brook hopped out to an early lead in the first game of the doubleheader, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Matt Brown-Eiring started the scoring, driving in Shane Paradine with a double. Both him and Brett Paulsen came across later in the inning, when Stanton Leuthner reached on an error in the outfield.
Hartford clawed back in the early innings, scoring four runs in three innings on a pair of sacrifice flies and a two-run home run from Tremayne Cobb Jr. to take a 4-3 lead. Stony Brook responded in the top of the sixth inning, taking the lead back on a two-run home run from Brown-Eiring.
Cobb Jr. continued his impressive day at the plate in the seventh inning, tying the game back up with an RBI double. The score remained knotted at five until the top of the ninth inning, when Stony Brook put up four runs to give them the 9-5 lead. The rally was characterized by rough defense from Hartford, as three of Stony Brook’s runs were scored on a wild pitch and an error.
Colton Book earned the win in relief for Stony Brook, and Ryan Dee took the loss for Hartford.
Stony Brook 7, Hartford 5 (7 Innings)
Hartford took an early lead in the second game of the doubleheader, scoring a run on a bases-loaded walk from Brett Anderson. Stony Brook responded in the second and third inning, scoring three runs on a wild pitch, an RBI double from Chris Leone, and a solo home run from Shane Paradine.
Hartford bounced back with three runs of their own in the third and fourth innings. Tremayne Cobb Jr. drove in another run, this time with a single. He scored later in the inning on an error, and Martin Chavarria scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning.
Stony Brook got those runs back and more in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring four runs to take a 7-4 lead. Brett Paulsen hit an RBI groundout, Evan Fox scored on a wild pitch, and Evan Giordano hit a two-run double. Hartford showed life in the bottom of the seventh when Ben Maycock hit a solo home run, but Josh O’Neill shut the door, earning the save for Stony Brook.
Devin Sharkey got the win out of the bullpen for Stony Brook, and Will Nowak took the loss for Hartford.
Fordham 4, St. Louis 3
St. Louis jumped out to a lead in the third inning, scoring two runs on a pair of RBI singles from Matt Happ and Kyle Fitzgerald. Trevor Harris held the Fordham bats in check for St. Louis, pitching 6.1 innings and only allowing one unearned run on five hits. The run happened in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Nico Boza scored on an error to cut the St. Louis lead to 2-1.
After Fitzgerald hit a home run to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Fordham’s bats woke up. Jack Harnisch tied the game, coming off of the bench and hitting a pinch-hit two-run home run. Chris Genaro scored the eventual game winning run in the same inning on a passed ball.
Ben Kovel came in and pitched a clean ninth inning, earning the save. EY Brooks was impressive for Fordham, striking out nine batters in eight innings and getting the win. Ryan Patel took the loss out of the bullpen for St. Louis.
Fordham 4, St. Louis 7
St. Louis responded in the second game, scoring all seven of their runs in the first five innings before Fordham could score their first run. Kyle Fitzgerald drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a two-run single, Matt Happ drove in a pair of runners with a ground out and sacrifice fly, and Tyler Fogarty had the biggest hit of the run for St. Louis, hitting a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Aside from a run in the sixth inning on a wild pitch, Fordham remained scoreless until the bottom of the ninth inning. They rallied, scoring three runs on a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly from T.J. Wachter, and an RBI single from Cian Sahler. Their rally fell short, however, as Cameron Pferrer came in and got three straight outs to end the game and get the save.
Cory Wall took the loss for Fordham, and Scott Youngbrandt got the win for St. Louis.
Division II:
Molloy 2, St. Thomas Aquinas 5
Despite combining for 27 hits, neither team could string out a significant rally, as neither team had a multi-run inning. Molloy scored first in the bottom of the second inning, as Patrick Hoffman drove in Garrett Scavelli with a sacrifice fly. Gregory DiGiaro tied the game in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI single for St. Thomas Aquinas, but Molloy responded once again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Thomas Brady came around to score on a triple from Scavelli to give Molloy the 2-1 lead.
St. Thomas Aquinas continued to hit while Molloy slowed down, as St. Thomas Aquinas scored four runs in the last four innings. All four runs were scored on RBI singles, coming from Andrew Jemison, Andrew Guerra, Nick O’Connor, and Sean Lynch. This gave them the 5-2 lead, which they held onto for the rest of the game.
John Archer was solid on the mound for St. Thomas Aquinas and got the win, allowing two runs and striking out four batters in 6.1 innings. Justin Baeyens got the save for St. Thomas Aquinas, and Mike Andreoli was tagged with the loss for Molloy.
Molloy 9, St. Thomas Aquinas 8 (8 innings)
St. Thomas Aquinas picked up right where they left off in the first game, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning.They scored their runs on an RBI groundout from Matthew Johnson, a pair of RBI singles from Andrew Jemison and Kyle Lagrutta, and a solo home run from Eric Volpi.
Molloy bounced back, scoring the next four runs to tie the game. Garrett Scavelli and David Franchi both had RBI singles, and Scavelli and Robby Keane hit sacrifice flies. St. Thomas Aquinas took the lead back in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly from Danny Di Marzo, but Molloy responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning to force extra innings.
St. Thomas Aquinas took an 8-5 lead in extra innings after Johnson drove in three runs with a double. Molloy didn’t back down from the late deficit, putting together a rally of their own. Vincent Pecora hit an RBI single, and Thomas Brady tied the game back up with a two-run double. He scored the game-winning run three batters later, when Franchi hit the walkoff single.
Robert Lucano got the win for Molloy, and Justin Baeyens took the loss for St. Thomas Aquinas in his second appearance of the day.
Adelphi 10, Pace 6
Adelphi got off to a hot start, scoring five runs in the first three innings. Anthony Cipri scored the first run of the game, scoring on an error. Jack Ryan added the second run of the inning with an RBI single, driving in Michael Draskin. They scored three runs in the third inning with a pair of extra-base hits. Kyle Olson hit a solo home run, and Cooper Johnson added a two-run double later in the inning.
Mitch McCabe got Pace on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run triple, but Adelphi responded immediately in a big way in the top of the seventh inning. Draskin hit a two-run home run, and Joe Pellegrino added the exclamation point with a three-run home run to give Adelphi a 10-2 lead.
Pace scored four more runs in the last two innings, headlined by a two-run home run from Matt Almonte, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback, as Adelphi took the first game of the doubleheader.
Christian Aich was tagged with the loss for Pace, and Michael Storms earned the win on the mound for Adelphi.
Adelphi 12, Pace 7 (7 Innings)
Adelphi continued their impressive offensive performance, scoring in all but two innings in the second half of the doubleheader. Jack Ryan hit a sacrifice fly and Matt Alifano hit an RBI single to start the scoring, and Michael Draskin hit a two-run home run in the third inning, his second of the day.
They added another four runs in the fourth inning, all of which were unearned due to an error by Pace. Cooper Johnson and Ryan scored on the error, and Alifano and Jack Wishner scored on a single from Kyle Olson.
Pace scored five runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cut Adelphi’s lead down to 8-6. Johnny Guarantano hit a sacrifice fly, Luke Jacobi and Robert Chesney had RBI singles, and Nate Carminucci and Anthony Labita hit RBI doubles.
Draskin put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh with a grand slam, his third home run and eighth RBI of the day. Pace scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough, as Adelphi completed the doubleheader sweep.
John Rizzo got the win for Adelphi, and Michael Roll took the loss for Pace.
Queens 15, Lincoln 3
After Lincoln took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run home run from CarVonte Williams, Queens broke through, putting up six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Colin Diez scored on a fielder’s choice, Reed Hoskins hit a two run single, and Juan De La Rosa and Lou Antos both hit RBI doubles.
They only continued to pile on, scoring nine runs between the fourth and seventh innings. Highlights included an RBI double from Matt Filip, a solo home run from Antos, and a two-run home run from Marc Cisco. Lincoln scored a run in the ninth inning on an RBI double from DeAndre Bowens, but Queens already had complete control of the game by that point.
Rob Backus and Daniel Gargano combined to strike out 16 batters for Queens, with Backus earning the win. Josiah Lara took the loss for Lincoln.
Queens 9, Lincoln 4 (7 Innings)
Queens picked up right where they left off, scoring seven runs in the first two innings of the second game in the doubleheader. Reed Hoskins hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, Jayson Rodopoulos, Colin Diez and Matt Filip hit RBI singles, and Marc Cisco hit a three-run home run as part of a six-run second inning.
Lincoln battled back, scoring four runs in four innings led by a pair of RBI doubles by Alex Jones and Josh Shepherd. However, Queens added a pair of runs in that span on a double from Filip and single by Lou Antos, allowing them to maintain a five-run lead.
Liam Pulsipher was solid on the mound for Queens, striking out seven batters in six innings and earning the win. Gabriel Sanchez took the loss for Lincoln.
Division III:
Farmingdale 7, Manhattanville 1 (7 Innings)
After going scoreless in the first two innings, Farmingdale scored their first run in the bottom of the third inning when Aidan Hutchins drove in Nolan White with a single. They added another in the fourth inning when Richard Apollo Jr. scored on a fielder’s choice and error from Manhattanville.
Farmingdale broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs and taking a 7-0 lead. Vincent Napolitano got the scoring going in the inning, driving in Danny Wolf with an RBI single. Bobby Pollack drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, and Apollo Jr. drove in a pair of runs with a double. Justin DiMartino finished the rally off, driving in Apollo Jr. with an RBI single.
Despite putting up seven hits, Manhattanville could never put together a rally and get back into the game after Farmingdale took the lead. They scored their only run in the top of the sixth inning, when Joe McDonald scored on a groundout from Joseph Silvestri.
Stephen Clancy dominated the game on the mound for Farmingdale, pitching a complete game and striking out seven batters. He got the win, while Travis Brescia was saddled with the loss for Manhattanville.
Farmingdale 2, Manhattanville 4
Much like the first game, Farmingdale struck first, this time in the bottom of the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly from Danny Wolf. However, Manhattanville struck back this time, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Frank Delgado gave them the lead, driving in Anthony Pressimone and Jake Parisi with a two-run triple. Joseph Silvestri added another run on the next play, driving Delgado in with a single.
Farmingdale retaliated in the bottom of the fifth, getting a run back on a sacrifice fly from Vincent Napolitano. Manhattanville added another run of insurance in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI groundout from Parisi.
On the mound, Ray White, John Millicker and Thomas Iazzetta combined to shut down Farmingdale’s bats over the last four innings, not allowing another run and only giving up three hits. White got the win on the mound for Manhattanville, and Iazzetta got the save. Joe Marino took the loss for Farmingdale on the mound, allowing four earned runs in 5.1 innings.
Old Westbury 11, Purchase College 0 (7 Innings)
Old Westbury scored early and often in the first game of the doubleheader, putting up nine of their 11 runs in the first four innings. After Jamie Barrios and Jacob Ford got on base in the first inning, Oscar Fajardo started the scoring, hitting a three-run home run.
They scored their next four runs on a pair of two-run doubles from Ford and Paul DePaulis in the second and third inning, respectively. They ended their opening scoring barrage in the fourth inning, scoring two runs on an RBI single from Ford and an error by Purchase. They put the finishing touches on their offensive outburst in the top of the seventh inning, when Barrios drove in two runs on a triple.
Not to be outdone by his offense, Patrick Quinn dominated on the mound, pitching a two-hit shutout and striking out 10 batters. He also controlled the strike zone, only allowing one walk and hitting one batter.
He got the win, while Myles Scarry took the loss for Purchase.
Old Westbury 2, Purchase College 3
The scoring was much more spread out in the second game of the doubleheader, as neither team scored multiple runs in an inning. Purchase scored first in the bottom of the first inning when Mason Compton drove in Christian Homa with a single. Old Westbury rebounded immediately, tying the game back up in the top of the second inning with an RBI triple from Shaun Kaminski.
Purchase struck next with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Matt Dragotto was hit with a pitch with the bases. They added a key insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning, as Louis Carvell hit an RBI single to give Purchase the 3-1 lead.
Old Westbury rallied in the top of the ninth inning, including an RBI single from Jacob Taormina to cut the deficit to 3-2. They loaded the bases with one out, but grounded into a double play to give Purchase the win.
Ryan Castrataro got the win on the mound for Purchase, allowing two runs in 8.1 innings of work. Jackson Lowery came in in the ninth to lock down the win and earn the save, and Justin Aviles took the loss for Old Westbury.
St. Joseph’s 5, Mount Saint Mary 0 (7 Innings)
St. Joseph’s started the scoring early, as Phil Krpata scored the first run in the bottom of the first inning on an error from Mount Saint Mary’s. They added another run in the inning, as John Lynch drove in Paul Gugliuzzo with a sacrifice fly.
While the two runs would have been enough to get the win in this game, they added another three runs in the fourth and fifth innings. John Thatcher drove in Joe Sanguedolce with a single in the fourth inning, and Lynch and Nick Vicino both hit RBI singles in the fifth inning to give them a 5-0 lead.
They held onto the lead thanks to a complete game shutout from Kevin Czeczotka. He only allowed two hits and two walks, striking out a total of seven batters en route to the win. Mike Scotto took the loss on the mound for Mount Saint Mary’s.
St. Joseph’s 14, Mount Saint Mary 9
Mount Saint Mary’s figured out St. Joseph’s pitching in the second game, scoring seven runs in the first five innings. Dominick Marzigliano started the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Other highlights from their scoring outburst include an RBI single from Robert Brust, a two-run double by Ryan Lutinski and an RBI double by Devin Tait.
Unfortunately for Mount Saint Mary, St. Joseph’s stuck with them every step of the way, scoring seven runs of their own in the first five innings. They were led by Nick Vicino and Charles Rainone in this stretch. Vicino hit a pair of RBI doubles, and Rainone added an RBI single and a two-run home run.
While Mount Saint Mary’s slowed down at the place, St. Joseph’s broke the game open, scoring six runs in the sixth inning to give them a 13-7 lead. Vicino and Rainone once again featured heavily in this inning, as a pair of runs scored when Vicino reached on an error, and Rainone hit an RBI single. Brian Forbes added an RBI double, Ryan Decoursey scored on a wild pitch, and Hermes Abreu drove in Rainone with a sacrifice fly.
Mount Saint Mary’s scored two more runs in the top of the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough as St. Joseph’s swept the doubleheader. Michael Manzolillo got the win for St. Joseph’s, and Ryan Lockhart took the loss for Mount Saint Mary’s
Maritime 3, St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) 0 (7 Innings)
Maritime got on the board first in the opening game of this double header, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jake Bernardi drove in Freddy Forgione with a single, and Austen Bishop scored on an error from St. Joseph’s. They added their third and final run in the bottom of the third inning, as Forgione scored again, this time on a single from Ryan Rockhill.
The story of this game was the pitching. Niko Concha got the start for Maritime and pitched well, going six innings and striking out three batters. He had some control issues, walking three batters and hitting one, but he kept St. Joseph’s bats at bay, only allowing two hits. Eric Wenig came in in the seventh inning and locked down the save, striking out one batter in a clean inning.
Despite only allowing one earned run and striking out four batters in 5.1 innings, Mike Santoriello was tagged with the loss for St. Joseph’s.
Maritime 2, St. Joseph’s (Brooklyn) 4
Unlike the first game, it was St. Joseph’s that took the lead in the first inning, scoring a run when Chris Leary drove in Lucas Collet with a single.
After going scoreless for the first three innings, Maritime broke through in the fourth inning, tying up the game when Freddy Forgione drove in Travis Zurita with a double. Maritime used small-ball to take the 2-1 lead, as Jaden Shea dropped a squeeze bunt, getting the single and driving in Forgione.
St. Joseph’s retook the lead in the sixth inning with two runs of their own. Louis Lombardi tied the game up, scoring on an error by Maritime, and Abner Victor gave St. Joseph’s the lead with an RBI single. They added another run of insurance in the top of the ninth inning when Anthony Hernandez hit a solo home run.
Aside from a single by Shea, Maritime went down quietly in the ninth, splitting the doubleheader. Andrew Monda got the win for St. Joseph’s, and Justin Conaty earned the save. Matthew Demme took the loss on the mound for Maritime.
Overall, teams on Long Island were solid on Saturday, going 15-8.
