Uniondale, NY | It was a tough start to the 2021 campaign for the College of Staten Island Baseball team, as they were buzzed through by ECC Preseason favorites Molloy College by a 27-6 count at Mitchel Field this afternoon in what was the first of a three-game set this weekend.  The Dolphins fell to 0-1 both overall and in conference play, while the Lions snapped a two-game skid, pulling up to 4-5 overall and 1-0 within the conference.

Molloy starter Timothy Panetta was crisp from the start, and after striking out the side in the top half of the first inning, the Lions then went quickly to work on the bats, scattering four runs on four hits on CSI starter Frank Gulko, the first two hits triples from James Messina and Peter Theodorellis.  Molloy added to the offensive onslaught in the second inning, when with one swing of the bat, Matt Overton doubled the lead, hitting a grand slam homerun into wind-carried centerfield to give the home side an 8-0 cushion after two frames.

While Panetta buzzed through the CSI lineup, Molloy continued to manufacture runs, adding another pair in the third off of reliever Alexis Santos to open things up to 10-0.  After another quiet top half of the fourth, Molloy blew the doors open with seven more earned runs in the frame to make it 17-0.  Theodorellis poked in a two-RBI double in the inning.

After eight more runs crossed for Molloy in the sixth made it 25-0, CSI refused to quit, and started to build their offense in the later innings.  Off of reliever Timmy Mott, CSI started the inning with back-to-back hits by Julian Iacono and Louie Mandile.  After Iacono came in on a Domenick Castiglione sac fly, Alex Santiago registered his first career RBI with a single to plate Mandile.  Shendi Ulaj would later score on a Steven Collica single before Santiago came in on a wild pitch.  

Santiago would add another RBI-single in the ninth, plating Mandile who reached via error to lead off the inning.  Thomas Joyce, who also pitched in relief, plated another run, to make it a 27-6 final.

Panetta took the win with a tremendous effort, going six innings, allowing no runs on three hits, fanning nine.  Gulko took the loss in his 1.2 innings of work.  Molloy's David Franch went 4-5 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBI, while Thomas Brady scored three hits with four RBI.  The 27 runs allowed by CSI were the second-highest all-time in team history, and the most allowed in a single game by the Dolphins since 1995.

The two teams will complete their three-game set for a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 11:00 AM at Mitchel Field.