by Mike Anderson
Only six local teams played on Friday with the holiday weekend. Let’s go around the horn to see how those teams fared.
Division I:
Hofstra won a high-scoring game versus Delaware to open up their three-game set. Run support and a strong bullpen performance bailed out starter Mark Faello as the Pride took game one 10-7.
Hofstra led 3-1 after three innings before a pair of Delaware long balls flipped the script to make it 4-3 Delaware in the fifth. Hofstra answered quickly when first baseman Zack Bailey put them back on top with a two-run single to center. Shortstop Ryan Morash then added to their lead with an RBI single to cap off a three-run fifth inning for Hofstra.
Catcher Kevin Bruggeman blew the game open with a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-4 Hofstra. Delaware fought their way back with a three-run seventh, but relievers Michael O’Hanlon and Aljo Sujak were able to slam the door on a Delaware rally.
Faello struggled with his command, walking four on the day. He went six innings overall, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits while striking out six. However, he still got the win, improving to 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA.
Hofstra is now back to .500 overall this year, sitting at 14-14, while improving to 4-3 in conference play. They will be right back at it tomorrow at home against Delaware, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
LIU is red-hot right now, as they won their eighth game in a row by beating Wagner 6-1. LIU’s bats were not as productive as the six runs may imply, but they took advantage of five Wagner errors to coast to another victory.
Jal Wade got the start for LIU and gave them five good innings, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out four and walking three. Reliever Nick DeSalvo then came in out of the pen and dominated the Wagner lineup, striking out ten and walking none across four scoreless innings.
Third baseman Christopher Wasson started the scoring with an RBI single in the first. However, it was center fielder Giovanni Ciaccio who led the way offensively. After Wasson’s RBI, Ciaccio came around to score on an error by the catcher. He then pulled a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the third to make it 4-0. In the fifth, he put the game on ice with a two-run triple to give himself four RBIs for the day.
The gem between Wade and DeSalvo helped improve LIU to 23-11 overall and 8-3 in-conference. Likely due to Easter being this Sunday, the series was moved up a day, and LIU won the opening game yesterday 15-5. That leaves game three for tomorrow, scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m..
Fordham snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Dayton 6-2. A strong start from Cameron Knox and a strong rally from the offense helped Fordham even up the series at a game apiece.
Dayton controlled the flow for the first four-and-a-half innings, leading 2-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth. A home run by first baseman Marcos Pujols and an RBI single from shortstop Keagan Calero were the only scoring plays to that point. Fordham’s bats had not been able to touch starter Mark Manfredi through the first four.
Then, they flipped a switch. Left fielder David Kale tied the game with a two-run homer. Four batters later, third baseman Michael Taylor broke the tie with a three-run homer to make it 5-2 Fordham. They added a sixth unanswered run on a Taylor opposite-field RBI single.
Knox took the ball all the way to two outs in the eighth, where he was finally pulled in favor of Ben Kovel, who got the final four outs to save it for Fordham. Knox finished with a stellar line: 7.2 innings, five hits, two earned runs, only two walks and three strikeouts. He got the win, and is now 3-2 on the year.
Fordham now sits at 7-24 overall and 2-6 in conference play this year. Fordham, like LIU, had their series moved up a day. Game three will be tomorrow at noon, and will be the rubber match between these two teams.
Stony Brook opened up their three-game series with a thrilling win over the in-state rival Binghamton Bearcats. It was a pitcher’s duel to the end, but Stony Brook did just enough when it mattered to come out on top.
Ben Fero was outstanding for Stony Brook, keeping Binghamton off the scoreboard until designated hitter Evin Sullivan tied the game with a two-run homer in the top of the seventh. Left-hander Thomas Babalis was equal to the task, allowing only three runs (two earned) on four hits in seven innings.
Tied at two in the bottom of the seventh, designated hitter Ryan Micheli was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then advanced to third on another. Now just 90 feet away, he was able to score on a ground ball to third. The throw came home, and he was called safe as the catcher missed the tag. The play was met with controversy, as Micheli had appeared to have missed the plate, and even went back to touch it despite being called safe already.
Binghamton answered in the eighth on a tying hit from left fielder Cavan Tully to make it 3-3. However, reliever Brendan Pattermann left the bases loaded by getting second baseman Nick Roselli to line out to deep right-center field.
In the bottom of the eighth, shortstop Stanton Leuthner gave Stony Brook the lead for good with a two-run homer to make it 5-3. Lefty Devin Sharkey came in to close it out and struck out three to lock down the win for Stony Brook.
Stony Brook remains atop the America East, now 10-3 in conference play and 15-16 overall. The two will meet again tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for game two of this series.
St. John’s had the day off on Friday. They played game one of their three-game series against Creighton on Thursday and lost 5-3. They will play games two and three as part of a doubleheader to end the series tomorrow, with the first game starting at noon.
Division II:
Queens College extended their winning streak to nine games with a 9-2 beatdown of St. Thomas Aquinas. Julien Arcos continued his fantastic season with a complete game, while the bats came to play, as well.
The offense racked up 12 hits, led by second baseman Marc Cisco’s three hits. They scored early and often, plating a pair in the first and another in the second to go up 3-0 early.
Arcos took a 5-0 lead into the seventh inning, where Aquinas finally made a game out of it. An RBI single by third baseman Andrew Jemison and an RBI double by second baseman Matthew Johnson cut the Queens lead to three.
However, Queens broke the game open in the eighth with a big four-spot to go up 9-2. An E2 helped lead to three unearned runs in the inning, capped off with an RBI single from designated hitter Reed Hoskins.
Arcos only allowed one earned run on seven hits, while striking out 12 and walking two in his nine innings of work. He is now 4-1 on the season, while Queens is now 17-9 after starting just 8-9. They are still unbeaten in conference games, as they are a perfect 10-0.
Games two and three are scheduled for noon and 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, as part of a doubleheader to decide the series.
Adelphi split a doubleheader against New Haven on Friday, winning game one and losing game two. Their loss was the only loss by a Long Island college ballclub on Friday, but they were still able to get themselves a win, as well.
Game one was very competitive, as the game was decided by just one run. Both teams had 12 hits each, but Adelphi ultimately came out on top 6-5.
Adelphi fell behind 2-0 early, but a four-spot in the third gave them the lead. Third baseman Matt Alifano gave them the lead with a two-run double.
New Haven cut the deficit to one run in the fifth, but Adelphi extended their lead with two runs in the seventh.
New Haven rallied with a run in the eighth and another in the ninth, cutting the Adelphi lead down to one. However, reliever Nicolas Luc fought through it and got the save for Adelphi, giving them the win.
Game two only went seven innings, but was exciting. It was another competitive, one-run ballgame, but this time with a flipped result.
New Haven was the beneficiary of two big innings: a four-run fourth, and a four run seventh. This was ultimately enough for them to capture the victory.
New Haven entered the top of the seventh up by one. They put up their second four-spot with a homer, two bases-loaded walks, and a sacrifice fly to extend their lead to five. However, an Adelphi four-spot in the bottom of the ninth made things interesting. A couple of RBI singles mixed between a throwing error on a steal and a home run cut the game back to one run.
New Haven was able to put an end to the Adelphi rally, as Ryan De La Rosa came in and got the final two outs. They held on to win 9-8, evening up the series.
New Haven’s win spoiled a remarkable game from Adelphi first baseman Michael Draskin, who hit three solo home runs and reached base in all four plate appearances. Despite Draskin’s hat trick, the team could not get it done.
Adelphi is now 17-9-1, and 8-4 in their conference. They will play another doubleheader against New Haven tomorrow to settle the four-game series. Game one is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., with game two following at 1:00 p.m..
Molloy had the day off after shutting out Bridgeport 3-0 on Thursday. They have a doubleheader Saturday against Bridgeport to finish the series. The first game starts at noon, and the later game starts at 3:00 p.m..
Division III: No Long Island Div-III teams were active on Friday. St. Joe’s LI is scheduled to play a doubleheader against St. Joe’s Brooklyn tomorrow, with game one coming at noon and game two coming at 3:00 p.m.. Old Westbury is having their senior day with a doubleheader against Mount Saint Mary, with the games starting at noon and 3:00 p.m., as well. USMMA has a doubleheader against Purchase with the exact same start times. Maritime and Farmingdale will not play this weekend. Farmingdale’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19 against Ramapo College, while Maritime’s next game is that same night against FDU-Florham.
