DOLPHINS MAKE SHORT WORK OF ERROR-PRONE JAYS

The College of Staten Island men’s baseball squad used a 16-hit effort, a strong outing from hurler Michael Fitzpatrick, and a total of 9 Fighting Blue Jays errors, to take a lop-sided, 16-1, win over visiting NYU-Polytechnic in a non-conference single affair played this evening at the CSI Baseball Complex. The win was the Dolphins’ fifth straight, lifting the squad to 10-7 overall, while the Fighting Blue Jays fell to 2-10 overall.

After a scoreless first inning, CSI hit the offensive gas and hardly let up. The home squad started with a two-run spurt in the second inning aided by three NYU-Poly errors. In the third inning, CSI then put solid space in-between the two sides with five more runs, doing it on just two hits and another three Poly errors. Joseph Palmeri scored when Will DiFede reached via an error, and then with the bases loaded Joseph Cespuglia was walked, James Lewis followed with an RBI-single, Dan Lynch stroked in a sac fly RBI, and Cespuglia came around to score on a throwing error by the catcher when Lewis stole second. At the end of two innings, CSI was well-ahead, 7-1.

The lead proved to be more than enough for CSI starter Michael Fitzpatrick who won his first collegiate game, tossing six innings, allowing a lone earned run on three hits while fanning nine batters. A pair of ground-out RBI’s gave CSI a 9-1 advantage after four innings, and the Dolphins scored another four runs in the sixth, highlighted by back-to-back doubles from Chris Ramanauskas and Robert Bernardo.

The Dolphins scattered 16 hits in the game off of three NYU-Poly pitchers. Christian Conroy took the loss, going three innings, allowing seven runs (none earned) on four hits, walking and striking out a pair. CSI’s Ramanauskas was the offensive hero. Entering the game batting .469, the junior bumped his average up 40 points by going 5-for-6 at the dish, one of only 16 CSI players to ever hit safely 5+ times in a single contest.

CSI will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, when they host St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) for a doubleheader beginning at 12 Noon. It will be a special day at CSI, as it will also be the “Heart For Jake” benefit game, as all proceeds generated will go to support Jake Schron and his family. The Schron’s have spent the better part of the year at Montefiore Hospital with Jake, 21 months, who this past Saturday, received a new heart from a donor family. The Heart For Jake Foundation raises money and awareness for his family who has been by his side the entire way. Recently, Jake was featured on NBC News and the Staten Island Advance. Jake’s aunt, Kelly Payne, played softball for four years at CSI from 1998-01, where she won a pair of CUNYAC Championships. She ranks 8th all-time at CSI in strikeouts thrown, and her career batting average of .406 ranks 6th best in CSI career history. 

 The College of Staten Island men’s baseball squad used a 16-hit effort, a strong outing from hurler Michael Fitzpatrick, and a total of 9 Fighting Blue Jays errors, to take a lop-sided, 16-1, win over visiting NYU-Polytechnic in a non-conference single affair played this evening at the CSI Baseball Complex. The win was the Dolphins’ fifth straight, lifting the squad to 10-7 overall, while the Fighting Blue Jays fell to 2-10 overall.

After a scoreless first inning, CSI hit the offensive gas and hardly let up. The home squad started with a two-run spurt in the second inning aided by three NYU-Poly errors. In the third inning, CSI then put solid space in-between the two sides with five more runs, doing it on just two hits and another three Poly errors. Joseph Palmeri scored when Will DiFede reached via an error, and then with the bases loaded Joseph Cespuglia was walked, James Lewis followed with an RBI-single, Dan Lynch stroked in a sac fly RBI, and Cespuglia came around to score on a throwing error by the catcher when Lewis stole second. At the end of two innings, CSI was well-ahead, 7-1.

The lead proved to be more than enough for CSI starter Michael Fitzpatrick who won his first collegiate game, tossing six innings, allowing a lone earned run on three hits while fanning nine batters. A pair of ground-out RBI’s gave CSI a 9-1 advantage after four innings, and the Dolphins scored another four runs in the sixth, highlighted by back-to-back doubles from Chris Ramanauskas and Robert Bernardo.

The Dolphins scattered 16 hits in the game off of three NYU-Poly pitchers. Christian Conroy took the loss, going three innings, allowing seven runs (none earned) on four hits, walking and striking out a pair. CSI’s Ramanauskas was the offensive hero. Entering the game batting .469, the junior bumped his average up 40 points by going 5-for-6 at the dish, one of only 16 CSI players to ever hit safely 5+ times in a single contest.

CSI will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, when they host St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) for a doubleheader beginning at 12 Noon. It will be a special day at CSI, as it will also be the “Heart For Jake” benefit game, as all proceeds generated will go to support Jake Schron and his family. The Schron’s have spent the better part of the year at Montefiore Hospital with Jake, 21 months, who this past Saturday, received a new heart from a donor family. The Heart For Jake Foundation raises money and awareness for his family who has been by his side the entire way. Recently, Jake was featured on NBC News and the Staten Island Advance. Jake’s aunt, Kelly Payne, played softball for four years at CSI from 1998-01, where she won a pair of CUNYAC Championships. She ranks 8th all-time at CSI in strikeouts thrown, and her career batting average of .406 ranks 6th best in CSI career history.