by Andy Smith
Division-I:
LIU 9, Merrimack 6 (11 innings)
WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM!
Jake Mastillo wins it with one swing! pic.twitter.com/uqeWU0ShzW
— LIU Baseball (@LIU_Baseball) April 21, 2023
The Sharks grabbed an early lead in the second inning with a sacrifice bunt and two-run home run by third baseman Brian O’Boyle. Merrimack got on the board in the third off a two-run blast by backstop Frankie Ferrentino in the third inning. LIU responded in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI single by second baseman Jarod Wade which gave them a two-run lead. The Sharks tacked on another run in the fifth off a JC Navarro single. Merrimack fought back and got within one run in the sixth inning after first baseman/third baseman Braydon Dolbashian ripped a two-run triple. Then in the seventh, another RBI triple, this time by center fielder Scott Eliot evened the score at five a piece. Merrimack carried their momentum into extras and took the lead in the eleventh off a single by left fielder Michael Golankiewicz. The LIU bats were cold for a few innings but came alive when it mattered most. Right fielder Jake Mastillo received the curtain call as he hit a walk-off grand slam. LIU looks to win this series Saturday at 1:00 PM EST.
Stony Brook 9, Elon 4
The Seawolves grabbed a four run lead in the opening frame thanks to three RBI singles, one each by third baseman Evan Giordano, designated hitter Shane Paradine, and left fielder Matt Brown-Eiring and an RBI groundout. Elon put up two runs across the third and fourth inning with an RBI groundout and a solo blast by designated hitter Luke Stephenson. Stony Brook tallied two more runs in the fifth off two RBI singles, one each by Paradine (second of the game) and first baseman Brett Paulsen. Second baseman Evan Fox hit a two-run single in the seventh to give Stony Brook some insurance. Elon responded with a two-run homerun in the second half of the frame courtesy of center fielder Justin Cassella but could not complete the comeback. The series will continue Saturday at 7:00 PM EST.
St. John’s 7, Creighton 12
The Johnnies raced out to a 2-0 lead on an RBI triple by Paul Orbon who then scored on a wild pitch, but that did not last. Creighton tied the game in the bottom of the second on a two-run triple. St. John’s was trailing 5-3 in the sixth and tied it up on a two-run error off the bat of SS Jace Jeremiah. They also took the lead on an RBI ground out off the bat of Luke Orbon to make it 6-5, and Jeremiah scored on a wild pitch to give them a 7-5 lead. In the bottom of the 7th, however, a solo shot would tie it in the 7th and then Creighton broke out with a 5-spot in the eighth to make it a 12-7 game. Nick Cirelli was tagged with the loss for the Red Storm. Paul Orbon and Jace Jeremiah had two-hit games for St. John’s. These teams will be back in action today at 7pm.
Hofstra 1, Northeastern 6
Center fielder Mike Sirota opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-run blast to give Northeastern an early lead. The Huskies increased their lead in the fourth with two RBI singles, one each by second baseman Luke Beckstein (2 RBI) and third baseman Danny Crossen (1 RBI). Northeastern scored their seventh and final run in the seventh inning by reaching on a fielder’s choice. Hofstra got on the board in the eighth via an RBI double by right fielder Steve Harrington. Aiven Cabrial threw seven shutout innings and notched his fifth win of the season. This three-game set will conclude with a double header on Saturday beginning at 11:30 AM.
Fordham 8, Richmond 15
Fordham got going early in this one with a two-run blast courtesy of second baseman Zach Selinger in the opening frame. Richmond cut the Fordham lead in half in the second off an RBI groundout but then claimed the lead in the third with two home runs, one each by catcher Jason Neff (3 RBI) and first baseman Jake Elbeery (2 RBI). The Rams got back on the board in the fourth off an RBI single by center fielder Ryan Thiesse and would then grab the lead back in the fifth off two blasts, courtesy of designated hitter Peter DeMaria (2 RBI) and shortstop Chris Genaro (3 RBI). However, in the second half of the frame Richmond responded with a seven spot which would put this game out of reach. Second baseman Jared Sprague-Lott ignited the Spiders’ offensive explosion with a three-run shot. Richmond would then put up two more runs, one in the sixth and one in the eighth. These teams will be back at it Saturday at 10:00 AM.
Division-II:
Queens 10, Mercy 9
Queens put up five runs in the first two frames which was highlighted by two RBI singles (3 RBI) by right fielder Jorsixt Jimenez. Mercy responded by scoring two runs in the third which was kickstarted with an RBI double by center fielder Jaden Caballero. In the fourth inning, first baseman Steven Schoen crushed a solo shot to lower the Queens lead to just two. Queens got back on the scoreboard in the fifth with an RBI single by shortstop Andrew Ramirez, who then would score on a passed ball. Mercy’s bats caught fire in the seventh and took a one-run lead by scoring five, highlighted by a three-run blast by third baseman Nolan Giblin. Giblin would then knock a run-scoring single in the eighth to increase their lead to two. Queens did not go away quietly and would eventually tie the game with a solo shot in the eighth by Jimenez and an RBI double by Ramirez in the ninth. Center fielder Jason Rodopoulos would be the hero and walk it off with an RBI base on balls. These teams will continue the four-game set with a double header Saturday beginning at 12:00 PM EST.
Adelphi 9, Bentley 12
The Falcons were flying high early in this one by jumping out to an early seven run lead in the first two innings which was capped off with a two-run blast by first baseman Liam Sears. The Panthers scored twice in the third off an error and a single by first baseman Michael Draskin. Bentley put up two more runs in the fourth off an error. Adelphi responded once again and put up two runs in the fifth off a single by the backstop Alec Maag (who finished the game with three hits) and an RBI groundout by designated hitter Joe Pellegrino. The Panthers would score two more runs the following inning off an RBI groundout and an error which got them within three runs of the Bentley lead. Shortstop Tommy Bolton got the Falcons back on the scoresheet in the seventh with an RBI single. The Panthers tallied three runs in the eighth off a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch, and an RBI hit by pitch which closed the gap to just one run. Bentley would then tally two insurance runs in the ninth which put this one out of reach. The three-game set will finish with a double-header Saturday beginning at 12:00 PM EST.
Molloy
Game 1: Molloy 6, D’Youville 4
Game 2: Molloy 2, D’Youville 4
Right fielder Anthony Manisero opened up the scoring in the opening frame with an RBI double to give the Lions an early lead. Molloy added to their tally in the fourth with an RBI single by left fielder JJ DeVito and a two-run single by third baseman Gavin McAlonie. The Saints got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth off a solo blast by third baseman Billy Morri. Then in the fifth, left fielder Ethan Hammond knocked a two-run single and in the seventh, catcher Jeremy Glinski hit a solo shot which got the Saints within one. Molloy got an insurance run in the final frame via a sacrifice fly.
In the second game, the Saints got the early lead via a two-run shot by Morri. Then in the third, first baseman Jon Simpson crushed a two-run blast which doubled their lead. Molly got on the scoresheet in the fourth off a sacrifice fly and again in the sixth off a Robby Keane single but could not complete the comeback. Game three of the four-game set will take place Saturday at 12:00 PM EST.
