James Lewis scored a run in CSI's 5-1 win

The College of Staten Island baseball team split their conference doubleheader on Saturday against CUNYAC-rivals Lehman College in a twinbill played at the CSI Baseball Complex.  Lehman broke an 14-game losing streak to the Dolphins with a 3-1 win in the opener, while CSI rebounded to take a 5-1 win in the second game to earn the split.  The victory was Head Coach Michael Mauro’s 100th.  CSI advanced to 6-7 overall and 4-2 in CUNY, while Lehman moved to 4-3, 1-2, respectively.

CSI actually opened the scoring in the opener over Lehman starter Wilfredo Gonzalez.  With two outs, Chris Ramanauskas singled to get on base and sophomore Will DiFede followed up with a triple to round Ramanauskas home, giving the Dolphins the 1-0 lead.  The Dolphins would spread out six more hits in the game, but that was all the scoring that they would do, as Gonzalez settled down to go the entire way without allowing another run to score, striking out four.

Meanwhile, it took Lehman till the third inning, but they did ultimately get to CSI starter Richard Anderson.  The Lightning scored a pair of runs when they tallied two infield singles, then brought the runners home via an infield error and a wild pitch, and just like that, and without the benefits of a ball hit to the outfield, Lehman had a 2-1 lead.

While CSI struggled for offense, LC scored an insurance run in the sixth off of another CSI error, part of four in the opener for the Dolphins.  Anderson went the distance allowing just the two earned runs on 9 hits, fanning four, but Lehman took the game by a 3-1 count, ending a 14-game, five-year, losing streak to the Dolphins.

CSI, however, got even in the second game with Mike Van Pelt on the hill.  Van Pelt’s offense staked CSI to a 3-0 lead after three innings.  Again with two outs in the first inning, this time off of LC starter Michael Santana, CSI got two runs.  A Michael Milazzo single scored Chris Ramanauskas, and then a bases-loaded hit by pitch from Robert Bernardo, punched home Will DiFede. 

The Dolphins plated an unearned run in the third when Bernardo singled home DiFede who earned on via an error.  A sac fly RBI by Justin Moises in the fourth got LC the run back, but CSI punched in two more runs in the fifth to put a nice cushion between the two sides.  DiFede and Bernardo capped big game with RBI singles in the inning.  Van Pelt, who gave up one run on five hits while striking out four through six innings, earned the win, giving way to Michael Fitzpatrick, who tossed a scoreless seventh to preserve the win.

CSI only had four hits in the game, two by Bernardo, who finished 2-2 with 3 RBI.  CSI coach Michael Mauro, who is in his fifth year for the Dolphins recorded his 100th career win.  

The Dolphins will play the rubber game with Lehman on Sunday afternoon at 1pm in the Bronx.  The game will not count in the CUNYAC standings.