Bronx, NY |  After a lop-sided opener that saw the College of Staten Island baseball squad lose by its largest margin in 2018, the Dolphins steadied themselves in time to record a win over Lehman College in the final regular season doubleheader on Saturday.  Lehman posted a 20-5 win in the opener, while the Dolphins rallied for a 7-1 win in the second game.,  The split raised CSI’s regular season record to 14-15, guaranteeing them of the CUNYAC Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament which begins this coming week.  Lehman is now 15-20 overall.

GAME 1 – Lehman 20, Staten Island 5
Things went from bad to worse in an opener that saw CSI allow 20 runs for the first time all season, in seven innings to boot.  

Despite the onslaught of runs allowed, CSI actually got off to a promising start, plating a pair of runs off of LC starter Jose Albrincole.  Sean Becker stroked an RBI-single that plated Jordan Wilson, who led off the frame with a double, and then Nick Meola chased in Anthony DiMarco via a sac fly before Albrincole settled out of the inning.

Against CSI starter Derek Jentz, the Lightning fired right back.  Mark Vargas doubled in Michael Zerbo who was walked to start the frame and then a Carlo Francisco single scored Vargas, tying the game with one out.  After Lehman scored another run off of a Natanael Toribio single and CSI error, Jentz then plunked Rob Kiernan with the bases-loaded to make it 4-2.  Toribio then scored on a wild pitch making it 5-2, and that was curtains for Jentz, who was lifted for Thomas Musso.  LC would score another run on a passed ball before the damage was over, and after one inning, Lehman led, 6-2.

CSI would get a run back in the second via a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch from Becker, which chased in Lozada who led off the inning with a single,  but Lehman got it back and then some when David Rodriguez hit a two-run home run in the Lightning turn to bat off of Musso, making it 8-3 after two innings.  After CSI went quietly in the third, the Lightning kept pushing, and a Julius Puryear two-RBI single in the fourth broke the game open, scoring Kiernan and Namir Garcia to make it 10-3 after three.

CSI tried again to chip into the lead, and in the fourth, Jett Nouvertne added his second home run of the year to lead off the frame to make it 10-4, but it was hardly enough, as Lehman countered with a whopping nine runs on five hits in the fourth inning to stake themselves to a 19-4 lead.  Musso would hit two-straight batters, the second with the bases-loaded to start the scoring and then another run was plated due to a wild pitch, before Musso was lifted for James Handibode with the bases loaded.  Another hit-by-pitch, a single, a bases-loaded walk, a single, and then a two-RBI double by Puryear started to add insult to injury, putting the game away.  For extra measure, Toribio doubled in two more runs and another run was plated via a balk, capping the scoring on the wild inning.

Rodriguez hit his second homer of the game in the bottom of the sixth, a solo shot, to make it 20-4 before CSI added a run in their turn of the seventh to make it a 20-5 final.  

Albrincole advanced to 4-3 with the win while Jentz fell to 2-2 overall on the season with the loss.  Lehman out-hit CSI, 15-8 in the opener, led by Rodriguez’ 5-for-5 at the dish, posting four RBI and five runs scored,  Toribio scattered three hits with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.  CSI pitchers hit seven Lehman batters and walked another six in the loss as well.

GAME 2 – Staten Island 7, Lehman 1
CSI needed a great effort in the second game to wash away the stinging defeat in the opener, and they turned to ace Christian Capellan to do the honors.  Thankfully for the Dolphins, the junior delivered in a big way.

Once more, the Dolphins got off to a nice start, scoring a run in the first off of LC starter Rich Frommelt.  Wilson started the game with a single, and after stealing a base and being sacrificed to third, came in on a Meola groundout, making it 1-0.

Unlike the opener, however, Capellan retired Lehman one-two-three in the first, allowing CSI to go right back to work in the second, and the Dolphins scratched out another run, this time bringing in Glenn Glennerster who was on base via a hit-by-pitch.  He would score on a Nouvertne double play.  

The Dolphins got more solid footing in the third, doing more damage, after Capellan motored along in the second frame.  With DiMarco at third base, Frank Muzzio stroked in an RBI-single, and later in the frame Sean Becker came in off of an Anthony Lozada ground ball plus a fielding error, making it 4-0 CSI.  With the bases-jammed, John Pomarico walked in Muzzio making it 5-0, and then Frommelt was lifted for Jose Albrincole, fresh off of his game one victory.  He would allow another run to cross via a Wilson hit, giving CSI a bigger, 6-0, advantage.

That proved more than enough for Capellan, who was brilliant on the hill.  He faced one batter over the minimum in the third and fourth innings, as CSI added a run in the fifth thanks to a Becker single that would score Nouvertne.  

Down to their final three outs, Lehman would spoil the shutout when Toribio scored Puryear via a sac fly, but Capellan would settle from there to retire the side and CSI held on for the 7-1 finish.

CSI out-hit Lehman, 8-5, in the second game, as Capellan earned the complete-game win, advancing to 5-1 on the season.  Wilson, DiMarco, and Becker each tallied two hits.  The Dolphins did leave 12 runners on base, but allowed just one walk and did not hit any Lehman batters in the second game.

The win guaranteed the Dolphins the CUNYAC Regular Season Championship with a 14-15 record.  Because not all CUNYAC teams play a complete conference schedule, the regular season championship is determined by regular season winning percentage, and CSI has tidied that honor up with the split today.  John Jay finished one-half game behind at 13-15 and earned the No. 2 seed.  

CSI and John Jay will host opening round CUNYAC Postseason competition on Thursday, May 3.  If the current CUNYAC seedings hold by the time the draw is announced on Monday, CCNY and Baruch College, the Nos. 4-5 seeds, will face off at CSI at 4pm, with the loser eliminated from the tournament.  The winner will face CSI at 7pm to kick off double-elimination play.

The Dolphins will next be in action on Monday, April 30, for single game against Mount Saint Mary College at 5pm at the CSI Baseball Complex.