In a pair of high scoring affairs, the College of Staten Island earned a split of today’s doubleheader with SUNY-Poly. The Dolphins saw their losing streak extend to four games with a 13-7 defeat in the early matchup while the Wildcats won for the first time in their last ten games. CSI bounced back with a big 12-3 win in game two bringing an end to the losing skid. Following today’s action, the Dolphins will enter tomorrow’s game against NJCU with a record of 5-7 while SUNY-Poly ends the day with a 3-10 mark.
Game 1 – SUNY Poly 13, Staten Island 7
SUNY Poly got started early in game one plating a first-inning run, but CSI answered right back with a first-inning run of there own to tie the game. The Wildcats would take the lead right back in the second, scratching across another, but CSI answered back with two more in the third thanks to a costly Wildcats error that prolonged the frame. However, this is the last time CSI would lead as SUNY-Poly erupted for six in the fourth and three more in the fifth. Trailing 11-3, CSI once again found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided score and ultimately fell, 13-7.
CSI handed the ball to Christian Capellan for game one hoping that he could help them end their losing streak at three. Capellan, in search of his first win of the season, got off to a shaky start by surrendering runs in each of the first two innings, but CSI provided him some early run support. Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the third, CSI was able to get in front on the back of three base hits and a Wildcats error which plated two unearned runs.
However, the 3-2 CSI lead would be their last of the game as the Wildcats hit Capellan hard in the fourth inning. SUNY-Poly picked up six singles against Capellan in a rally helped along by a pair of Dolphins errors, two of their five in the game. The result was a six-spot on the board against Capellan which put the Dolphins behind 8-3.
In the following inning, the Wildcats were right back on the scoreboard as three consecutive singles to open the frame set the table for a three-run inning to break the game open and give SUNY-Poly an 11-3 lead. Neither team would score again until the bottom of the sixth where the Dolphins struck for two runs on an Andrew Nathan RBI-double. This brought CSI back to within five, but the Wildcats answered the two Dolphins’ runs with a two-spot of their own to go back ahead by eight.
In typical CSI fashion, the Dolphins did not go down quietly in the final inning. With one out, a Michael Ciancio single followed by a John Pomarico double brought home the first of two seventh-inning CSI runs. Jett Nouvertne then singled home Pomarico shortly after to bring home the second. A walk followed to put two Dolphins on base with CSI down to their final out, but any thoughts of staging a comeback were put to rest as Domenick Castiglione was retired to close out the first of two between the Dolphins and Wildcats.
Capellan suffered the defeat for CSI falling to 0-3 on the season while Jeremiah Horton picked up his first victory evening his record at 1-1. Nathan had three hits in four at-bats for the Dolphins and Castiglione found his way on base three times as well, picking up a hit of his own and drawing a pair of walks. Dalton Earl thrived out of the leadoff spot for the Wildcats with four hits, two RBI’s and four runs scored in the game. Dean Natalizio also had a great day at the plate picking up three hits and driving in two. In a game where there were 26 hits, CSI was outhit 16-10. The Dolphins also continued to have their issues in the field as they committed five errors.
Game 2 – Staten Island 12, SUNY-Poly 3
SUNY-Poly jumped out in front early one again in game two picking up a run as the result of another Dolphins error. As they did in the first game, CSI answered back in the next half-inning with a run to even the score. From here, it was all CSI as a five-spot in the second put the Dolphins ahead for good. Leading 6-1, the Dolphins added four more in the fourth to go up 10-1. Each team would go on to score two more the rest of the way allowing CSI to coast to a 12-3 victory.
The Wildcats posted an unearned run against CSI starter John Esposito in the first, but the Dolphins’ responded quickly in the bottom half of the opening frame. Jett Nouvertne got things started with his team-leading fifth triple and was quickly brought in to score on an Anthony DiMarco sacrifice fly. Esposito made quick work of the Wildcats in the second and sent the game into the bottom half of inning number two knotted up at 1-1.
The Dolphins would pounce on SUNY-Poly starter Colin Nabinger in the second tagging him for five runs on five hits in the inning. Anthony Lozada single to start the rally and came around to score from first on a Luke Smieya triple. A Nick Falcone single scored Smieya and a two-out Wildcats error brought home two more. With two away and leading 5-1, a Castiglione double added another Dolphins run and gave them a 6-1 lead that they would hold the rest of the way.
In the fourth, a Falcone single and Nouvertne double brought home the first of four Dolphins’ runs. Nouvertne would ultimately score after stealing third base and coming home as the result of a poor throw into left field. In the midst of the four-run inning, Castiglione picked up his second RBI of the game on a single to plate the third Dolphins run before scoring as the result of a wild pitch. The four-run inning broke the game open and put CSI in front 10-1.
Both teams would add two more runs over the last three innings, but the Wildcats were not able to get any closer than seven the rest of the way. Esposito provided CSI with a strong effort on the mound as he did not allow an earned run over his six innings of work en route to his second win. Nabinger took the loss for the Wildcats, dropping to 0-4 in a game which saw the Dolphins record double-digit hits for the second time on the day. Castiglione had three of those hits for CSI driving in two more runs while Nouvertne added a pair of extra-base hits and scored three times. It was a quiet game at the plate for the Wildcats who only had five hits and the thirteen run, twelve hit CSI performance brings their four-game losing streak to an end.
The Dolphins are right back in action tomorrow as they take on the Gothic Knights of NJCU in a single, nine-inning game. First pitch from the CSI Baseball Complex is scheduled for 12 pm.
