Uniondale, NY | Molloy College extended to 3-0 in conference, completing the weekend sweep over the College of Staten Island in a doubleheader set this afternoon by scores of 9-4, and 9-0.  Molloy lifted to 6-5 overall with the wins, while CSI fell to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in ECC play, respectively.

GAME ONE
Molloy starter Joe Minucci threw six sterling innings and the Lions pouned on top early and withstood a late CSI rally to close out the 9-4 decision.  CSI was the home team in this game, and before they could get up to bat they plated four runs in their turn of the first off of CSI starter Nick Metzger.  Matt Overton walked in the first run, plating Peter Theodorellis, who led off the hitting with a double.  Thomas Brady added a two-RBI double in the inning.

Molloy would add another two runs in the third and then another in the fourth to make it 7-0 on a Sean Hogan single off of CSI reliever Steven Collica, who pitched admirably in relief, allowing just two runs (one earned) in four innings.  

Minucci would last six innings for Molloy, yielding just three hits, while fanning nine, and Ryan Karp then tossed a scoreless seventh before CSI started to catch fire against Lions reliever Christopher Wiercinski.  With two outs, Noah Lunn got the rally started by walking, and then both Michael Manzo and Michael Crocco walked as well  to load the bases.  Leadoff hitter Louie Mandile then clocked a homerun to left field for a grand slam, cutting the Molloy lead in half, 8-4.  Wiercinski was able to induce a pop up to end the frame and escape the inning.  The Lions would add an insurance marker in the ninth before Billy Wildeman came in to toss an inning of scoreless relief to close things out.

In the opener, Molloy out-hit CSI, 9-5.  Theodorellis finished 2-5 with two runs scored, while Garrett Scavelli went 2-3 with an RBI.  Apart from Mandile's grand slam, Domenick Castiglione made noise, going 2-3 at the dish.  Metzger took the loss, going three innings, surrendering six runs, four earned, with three walks and two strikeouts.

GAME TWO
CSI's John Esposito got the ball in the second game, a seven-inning affair between the two sides.  As they did in the previous two games, Molloy got in front early, this time by a lesser margin, able to take a 1-0 edge at the end of the first one-half inning, thanks to a Hogan sac fly scoring James Messina.On the other side, however, Joseph Murphy was just as strong, settling CSI down in the first en route to five strong innings, allowing just two hits.

Things stayed quiet from there until the game's fourth inning, when Esposito hit a snag and couldn't recover.  McCarthy started the frame with a single, as did Overton.  Brady followed with an RBI stroke to make it 2-0, and the Scavelli plated Overton via the sac to make it 3-0.  After issuing a walk, Esposito allowed another RBI single to make it 4-0, and was lifted in place of Kevin Ryan.  Ryan would allow another inherited run as Molloy enpanded the lead to 5-0.

That proved more than enough for Murphy on the other side as CSI was taken down in order in the fourth.  Molloy would add two more in the fifth to make it 7-0, and then Murphy squeezed out of a jam in the bottom half to preserve the shutout.  It would hold, as Charlie Cucchiara went two scoreless innings of relief allowing just one hit.

Molloy out-hit CSI in game two, 13-3.  Theodorellis went 3-5 at the plate with two RBI, and Overton went 2-3 with two runs scored.  CSI's three hits were from Thomas Joyce, Salvatore Trancucci IV, and Thomas Marten.  Esposito took the loss for CSI, and Ryan Laino got his first work for CSI, tossing two innings of relief, allowing two earned.

CSI will return to action on Thursday afternoon when they travel to face the University of Bridgeport for a single, 9-inning, affair on the road as part of contunued ECC play.