Once again, the Dolphins found themselves on the wrong end of a one-sided result as New Jersey City University defeated CSI 19-9. The game entered the sixth inning 3-1 in favor of NJCU before the Gothic Knights broke it wide open in the late innings. The loss dropped CSI to 5-8 on the season while NJCU improved to 6-4 with the victory.
Despite allowing 19 runs in the game, CSI got a stellar performance from starting pitcher Kevin Ryan who allowed three runs and six hits over his five innings of work. When Ryan exited the game CSI was trailing 3-1, but the Dolphins bullpen could not keep them within striking distance. NJCU put up a seven-spot against a pair of Dolphins relievers in the sixth, scored five more in the seventh, and another four in the eighth to go ahead 19-4. CSI added five more over the last two innings, but this wasn’t nearly enough to erase the massive deficit as the Dolphins fell 19-9.
NJCU opened the scoring with a second inning Matt Corsi RBI-single before the Dolphins drew even in the bottom half of the third. The first Dolphins run came home as Jett Nouvertne drew a throw to second on a stolen base attempt allowing Salvatore Trancucci to score from third. The Gothic Knights jumped right back in front in the top of the fourth behind three base hits and a pair of stolen bases, two of their five in the game. The inning was highlighted by a Ricky Voss triple to drive home a run before Voss came home to score the third NJCU run of the game to make it 3-1. This was all of the damage the Gothic Knights would do against Ryan who was removed from the game after 95 pitches at the start of the sixth inning with his team still trailing 3-1.
Neither team scored again until the NJCU offense exploded for seven runs in the sixth. Three straight walks and a hit batter by Eric Benedetto to open the frame forced a pitching change before an out was recorded in the inning. Daniel Garcia didn’t fare much better as he allowed four hits, issued a walk, and hit a batter before getting out of the inning. However, the damage was already done as seven NJCU runs put them ahead 10-1.
Leading 10-1, NJCU added five more in the seventh as the struggles continued for the Dolphins bullpen. CSI would plate three in bottom half of the inning, two coming on a triple by Jared Lerner who later scored on a Khalid Zahrieh base hit up the middle. NJCU closed out their scoring with a four spot in the eighth to go ahead 19-4 and CSI was able to scratch out a run in the eighth to make it 19-5. In the ninth, the Dolphins put four more on the scoreboard on the back of three doubles by Michael Ciancio, Luke Smieya, and Nicholas Dedato. However, ten runs is as close as CSI would get and they lost another disappointing game by a final of 19-9.
Ryan pitched well for CSI, but did not receive much run support in his five innings of work. He allowed three runs on six hits keeping CSI in the game entering the sixth inning. Things would fall apart for the Dolphins in the sixth as the bullpen went on to surrender sixteen runs on eleven hits while issuing seven walks and hitting four batters. The only Dolphins with multiple hits were Anthony Lozada, the only starter who played the entire game, and Joseph Manzi who had three hits in three at-bats off of the bench. NJCU got a huge game at the plate from Matt Corsi who had four base hits and drove in four while starter Fernando Guerrero allowed only one run in his five innings, earning his second win.
A busy final two weeks of March continues for the College of Staten Island on the road as they will travel for a matchup with William Paterson Tuesday at 4:00pm.
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