POMONA, NY – The College of Staten Island baseball team opened East Coast Conference (ECC) play on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader against St. Thomas Aquinas College at Clover Stadium.
After the conclusion of the doubleheader, the Dolphins dropped twice to the Spartans 10-6 and 5-2 respectively.
Game One: STAC 10, CSI 6
In the opener, the Dolphins controlled much of the early action, scoring in each of the first three innings to build a 4–1 lead over the Spartans.
Jamel Vera reached base to lead off the game and later scored the first run of the afternoon on an RBI single by JJ Hunter. CSI added two more runs in the second inning to extend the lead to 3–0. Ryan Ortega doubled to start the rally and eventually scored during Brandon Bartick's at-bat, while Vera later crossed the plate again on an RBI from Michael Flashner.
St. Thomas Aquinas got on the board in the bottom of the second, trimming the deficit to 3–1, but the Dolphins responded in the top of the third when Jason Romance launched his second home run of the season to make it 4–1.CSI added two more runs in the fifth inning to stretch the advantage to 6–1. Romance scored on a wild pitch, and Ortega later delivered an RBI single to center field that brought home Jack Kehoe.
The Spartans, however, mounted a late comeback. After holding the Dolphins scoreless the rest of the way, STAC erupted for four runs in the fifth inning and five more in the seventh to secure a 10–6 victory in the conference opener.
Romance led the Dolphins offensively, finishing 2-5 with a home run, a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI. Kehoe and Vera also collected two hits apiece, both going 2-5, with Kehoe scoring once and Vera crossing the plate twice. Ortega went 2-3 with a double and an RBI. On the mound, Nicholas Chiaia made the start for CSI, pitching 4.1 innings while recording two strikeouts.
Game Two: STAC 5, CSI 2
The Spartans opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1–0 lead. The Dolphins were kept off the board through the first three innings, while the hosts added two more runs in the bottom of the third to extend their advantage to 3–0.
CSI broke through in the fourth inning. Vincent Weigele reached first base on a walk, and Jamel Vera continued his strong performance at the plate with his second triple of the day, driving in Weigele to cut the deficit to 3–1. Michael Flashner followed with an RBI of his own, bringing Vera home to make it a one-run game at 3–2 before the Spartans recorded the final out of the inning to halt the rally.
The Dolphins were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest, while the Spartans added two more runs to secure the 5–2 victory.
Jason Romance led CSI offensively in game two, finishing 3-4 at the plate. Vera went 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Flashner added two hits in a 2-3 performance. Weigele and Jack Kehoe each drew two walks in the contest. Alex Martinez made the start on the mound for the Dolphins, pitching 3.0 innings and recording three strikeouts.
The College of Staten Island baseball team (3–7, 0–2 ECC) will return to action tomorrow as they continue conference play against Molloy University in Rockville Centre, NY. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
GAME REPLAY
