Purchase, NY | The College of Staten Island baseball team lost for the second time in as many days in non-conference play on the road, falling to the Valiants of Manhattanville College, 8-2. The loss dipped the Dolphins to 8-10 overall, while the Valiants snapped a four-game slide and improved to 8-11.
Manhattanville starter Francisco Jaile was able to keep CSI at bay in the opening innings, enough for the Valiants to nurse a slim lead through the early innings that they improved on late. In the second frame, Stephen Merrill drew an opening walk, and with two outs he found himself at third when Nick Campana doubled down the left field line to open the scoring 1-0. CSI pitcher Thomas Musso settled from there to escape the inning, but was touched for another run in the third when Luke Scoggins opened the frame with a double and was plated later in the inning by an Austin Pollack sac fly.
The Dolphins started to get their bats in order, stranding the bases loaded in the fourth, but then finally hitting the register in the fifth to narrow MC’s lead. Jett Nouvertne stroked a one-out double to get things started, and later, Sean Becker stayed hot at the plate with an RBI-single to cut the lead to 2-1. But the Valiants were up to the task in their turn of the fifth, getting a run off of a Merrill RBI-stroke that scored Scoggins. Musso would recover and good defense kept MC off of the scoreboard with the bases loaded, keeping it 3-1 after five innings.
CSI, however, could not score in the sixth, and the Valiants added two more off of CSI reliever Joseph Titta. Scoggins added an RBI-hit, as did Peter Iannarilli. Another Nouvertne double for CSI saw him get plated later in the seventh inning to cut MC’s lead to 5-2, but the Valiants got the run back in the seventh, and then added two more in the eighth to slam the door on the Dolphins. James Handibode surrendered the runs for CSI, but wiggled out of the inning with MC leaving the bases loaded again.
CSI got a base runner on in their turn of the ninth, but reliever Justin Proteau was able to secure the game in the non-save situation as the Valiants held on, 8-2.
Jaile was the winner, pitching five innings, yielding one earned run on five hits. Musso took the loss, giving up three runs on seven hits, fanning four in five frames. MC out-hit CSI, 14-8, as Iannarilli stroked three hits adding an RBI and a run scored. Becker and Nouvertne both pushed out two hits adding an RBI each.
CSI will now be idle until a pair of weekend sets. On Saturday, they will host CCNY to continue conference play at 12 Noon, and will follow on Sunday with a doubleheader, non-conference, test against the College of New Rochelle.
