Myrtle Beach, SC |  The College of Staten Island Baseball squad followed up their two-win, 36-run, performance to start their season yesterday, with a 31-run outburst through two games again today, turning back John Jay College, 10-8, and NCAA Division II Benedict College, 21-9, to improve to 4-0 to start their season.  John Jay fell to 1-3 with the loss, while the Tigers of Benedict fell to 4-4.

A couple of first-year pitchers for the Dolphins got the starts today, and in game one, CSI got out to a sizable lead before finally pulling away from John Jay, 10-8, in a 9-inning affair, before an even bigger win over the Tigers after falling behind early, scoring their first win over a Division II side as a Division II provisional program.  Scheduled for nine innings, the game was called after seven innings with CSI managing a 10+ run lead.

GAME ONE - STATEN ISLAND 10, JOHN JAY 8
CSI was the visiting side in their first contest, and set the tone early against JJC starter Stephen Strategakos.  Louie Mandile led off the game by getting plunked, and after moving two bases thanks to a balk and wild pitch, he would come in on a failed pick off attempt, getting their first run without the benefits of a hit.  CSI would have plenty of chances to get hits, and after starter Nick Metzger got CSI out of the first, the Dolphins went right back to work in the second.

Steven Collica started the frame with a base hit and was advanced to third on a Thomas Joyce double.  After Collica came in to score on a ground ball out, Joyce came in on a Strategakos wild pitch, opening the lead to 3-0.  A Jake Walton base hit got a run back for JJC in the second, and the Bloodhounds scratched away another run unearned in the third to make it a 3-2 game.  Masters of big innings yesterday, CSI got one today in the fourth inning, spreading out six runs on just three hits, aided by two JJC errors.  A bases-loaded walk to Peter Lombardo would score Allen Morel, and a single by Collica would score another to make it 6-2.  After another run came in via a wild pitch, Joyce laced a two-run single to finalize the scoring at 9-2.

The lead would hold up until the seventh inning, as Metzger was crisp on the hill and worked his way out of trouble on a pair of occasions.  After a lead-off walk in the seventh, he was lifted for Ronald Fils-Aime, who was victimized for five runs on four hits as JJC closed to 9-7 with Danny Wynne's three-run double a highlight down the right field line.  Alexis Santos came in relief of Fils-Aime in the eighth, wiggling out of a two-runner jam, finalized by a sprawling gem of a catch made by Collica in foul territory to end the threat.

Down to the final inning of play, CSI got a big insurance marker on a Jett Nouvertne solo homerun on a lined shot to left field, making it 10-7.  With room for more drama, the Bloodhounds made it interesting in their half of the ninth.  Walton reached via catcher's interference with two outs to start the rally, and he was plated by pinch hitter John Vento's triple.  With Vento at third, Santos was able to end the threat by forcing a Mike Mescia fly out to deep left field.

Metzger picked up his first career win for CSI, tossing six innings, yielding seven hits and three runs (two earned) with three strikeouts.  Santos got the two-inning save, fanning one while yielding three hits.  Strategakos went four innings in the loss, giving up nine runs (two earned) on seven hits, fanning seven.  Both teams scattered 14 hits in the game.  CSI was led by Collica's four-hit performance, collecting an RBI and two runs scored.  Joyce (3-5), and Nouvertne (3-6), combined for three RBI and a pair of runs.  Walfi Regalado led JJC with a 4-5 performance, while Wynne went 3-4 with three RBI, and two runs scored.

GAME TWO - STATEN ISLAND 21, BENEDICT 9
In their first game against a Division II opponent as a Division II program, things could not go any better for the Dolphins after a rocky start.  First-year transfer Adam Gonzalez got the start for the Dolphins, and as the home team, he got touched for three runs on a lone hit, helped along by a CSI error.  Anthony Johnson highlighted the frame with the only hit, a two-run double to open up the 3-0 lead.  CSI, however, would answer with an overwhelming offensive response, pouring in nine runs on nine hits in the frame against BC starter Fareed Mizelle.

Andrew Nathan started the run parade with a two-run single that scored Mandile and Nouvertne.  After Nathan scored on a wild pitch, he was brought home on a Lombardo single, who advanced all the way to third on a two base error.  He was plated by Anthony Lozada, and then after an out, CSI recorded back-to-back-to-back doubles by Giacchino Virone, Joyce, and Salvatore Trancucci IV.  By the time the inning was over, Lombardo would add an infield hit to score another run, making it 9-3 after Mizelle was lifted.

One inning later, CSI got all the insurance it needed with a six-run, six-hit, outburst.  All six of the runs were unearned.  Nathan, Lombardo, Lozada, and Joyce all poked RBI hits in the frame, giving starter Gonzalez plenty of run support.  Benedict scratched out a one-run answer in the third, but CSI got it back thanks to a Mandile triple and wild pitch, making it 16-4 after three frames.  

CSI finished their scoring barrage in the fifth.  A Shendi Ulaj bloop single would score Nathan who started the inning with a walk. and then later in the frame, Joyce would add another RBI hit and Trancucci IV a sac fly to finalize the scoring.

Gonzalez was lifted in the sixth for Nick Vilardi, who allowed a run charged to Gonzalez but closed from there.  Despite trouble, he was able to wiggle out of a jam in the seventh, settling down after allowing a two-run double to Nick Weston that made it 21-9.  With a runner on base, CSI recorded a strike-out, throw-out, to end the threat and the game to come out on top after seven frames.

Gonzalez' win came with 5.2 innings of work, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits with seven strikeouts.  Mizelle took the loss.  CSI out-hit Benedict, 20-10, led by Mandile (3-4, three runs scored), Nathan (2-4, three RBI, three runs), Lombardo (3-5, four RBI, two runs), Lozada (2-3, two RBI, three runs), and Joyce (3-5, three RBI).  Ulaj, Virone, and Trancucci all tallied two hits as well.

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With a head of steam, CSI will head into their final day of play tomorrow, when they face Erskine College for a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 PM.