POMONA, NY – The College of Staten Island baseball team continued their four game series with St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday evening with a East Coast Conference (ECC) doubleheader at Clover Stadium.
Game One: STAC 7, CSI 6
In game one, the Dolphins staged a late comeback in the top of the ninth inning to tie the score at 6-6, but the Spartans capitalized on a wild pitch in the bottom half to secure a 7-6 victory.
Jamel Vera opened the game with a leadoff single in the first inning and later scored on an RBI single by Jack Kehoe to give the Dolphins an early 1-0 lead. The Spartans responded with a three-run bottom of the second to take a 3-1 advantage, and from there the Dolphins worked to stay within striking distance.
Vera reached base again in the fifth with a walk, sparking a rally that included three consecutive walks to Dolphins' hitters, allowing one run to score and cut the deficit to 3-2. The Spartans added a run in both the fifth and seventh innings to extend their lead to 6-2 heading into the late frames.
The Dolphins began their push in the eighth when Jandel Brito led off with a single. After Brito was replaced on the bases by Christopher Reilly, Reilly advanced and scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch with two outs to make it 6-3.
In the ninth, the Dolphins continued to rally. A walk and a hit-by-pitch put two runners on with one out before Michael Flashner laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Jason Romance followed with an RBI single to score Bartick, and a throwing error by the Spartans allowed Flashner and Romance to come home, tying the game at 6-6.
Despite the comeback, the Spartans answered in the bottom of the ninth, using a wild pitch to bring in the winning run for the 7-6 final.
Vera finished 2-3 with three runs scored, while Brito and Romance each went 1-3 with an RBI. Ryan Palm got the start, tossing 5.0 innings with three strikeouts.
Game Two: STAC 5, CSI 2
STAC ignited game two with a quick run in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead over the Dolphins.
The Dolphins were held scoreless through the first three innings before breaking through in the fourth, plating two runs on a Jack Kehoe RBI double and a Jaden Waterman sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead. STAC responded in the bottom half of the inning, reclaiming the advantage at 4-2, and added an insurance run in the fifth to secure the 5-2 victory.
Romance went 2-3 with a run scored, while Kehoe also finished 2-3 with an RBI. Nicholas Chiaia started for the Dolphins, pitching 4.0 innings and striking out four.
The College of Staten Island baseball team will return to Clover Stadium to cap off the four-game series with a single game on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.
GAME REPLAY
