The College of Staten Island men’s baseball team was back in action after a 15-day lay-off, splitting with St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn in a non-conference doubleheader played at Tomas D. Morales Baseball Field at CSI’s Willowbrook campus. The Dolphins won the opener, 4-1, before falling in the second game, 2-0. The Dolphins moved to 3-4 overall while the Bears moved to 4-5 overall.
CSI got plenty of action on the mound, sending three players to the hill in the opener, all doing well after the long lay-off. Meanwhile, CSI got all the run support they needed in the first frame.
After CSI starter Chris Falcone retired the Bears in the top of the first, CSI countered hard in their half. The Dolphins promptly loaded the bases. Leadoff hitter Nick Delprete scored on a balk from Bears’ hurler Donny Pagano, and then John Baggs laced a two-RBI single, plating Joe Palmeri and Chris Ramanauskas to give CSI the 3-0 edge.
The Bears answered with a run in the second, but the Dolphins’ pitchers settled from there, and in the third inning, Mike Fitzpatrick came on to pitch another 2.1 innings,and CSI added an insurance marker via a Delprete double, making it a 4-1 game. Anthony Storz would come on in relief, tossing two scoreless innings for the Dolphins to earn the win.
The Bears would exact revenge in the second game of the seven-inning doubleheader. Like the Dolphins in the first game, the Bears got all the runs they needed in the first off of CSI starter John Baggs. Baggs would pitch well, settling to give up only the lone run through five innings, allowing only three hits. However, CSI could not get the run support, as the Bears’ Mitch Brigando tossed a sterling two-hit, complete-game, shutout for the victory.
CSI got hits from Will DiFede and Falcone, both doubles, but both would be stranded on base.
The Dolphins will be back in action on Friday, hosting Montclair State University in a single game on Friday at 3:30pm.
