Bronx, NY | The College of Staten Island baseball team erupted early offensively, then slammed the door late, pulling out a 10-4 CUNYAC win on the road against Lehman College this afternoon in a single, nine-inning, affair. The win, CSI’s second in as many days in conference play, lifted the Dolphins to 11-15 overall and 3-4 within the CUNYAC, while Lehman fell to 7-17, 1-3, respectively.
After a quiet first inning, CSI gave starter Christian Capellan a head start, getting out to a 2-0 lead against LC starter Jarret Oehler. Andrew Nathan got things started with a single, and after Nathan was worked around to third, Anthony DiMarco slapped a home run to left field, his first of the season, to give CSI the edge.
The Lightning were able to get one of the runs back in the second, but CSI had more offensive damage to do. In the third, CSI scored when Nick Falcone came around after a single and scored from third on a ground ball. Then Jett Nouvertne did the same on an RBI-hit by Sean Becker, making it a 4-1 game. In the fourth frame, CSI gave their starter a more comfortable lead when a pair of unearned runs came in, guided by another Becker hit and an infield error. At the end of four frames, CSI had a commanding, 6-1, edge.
Things looked bleak for the home team as Capellan motored along for CSI, but the Lightning finally got to the starter again in the sixth, plating in a run on an Emmanuel Frias double to make it 6-2. After CSI went down in order in their turn of the seventh, Jeremmy Santos made the game a whole lot more interesting when he belted a two-run homer to right-center field, making it a 6-4 game. Capellan was lifted for reliever Steven Collica, who cut down the damage by getting the next two batters out.
After being stagnant offensively the previous three innings, CSI did get an insurance tally back in the eighth, as Domenick Castiglione laced a sac fly to score Michael Ciancio, who led off with a walk against reliever C Hernandez.
In a big swing in momentum, things took a turn for the worse in the bottom of the eighth, as Collica loaded the bases with two out without the benefits of a hit, as two Lehman batters walked and another was plunked by a pitch. With the bases jammed and two out, reliever Salvatore Trancucci came in and induced a Mark Vargas line out to left field to end the threat.
With one more chance to add insurance markers, CSI was then able to slam the door in the ninth. With one out, Nicholas Meola singled and DiMarco was then walked. That brought Anthony Lozada to the dish, and he towered a homer to left-center field to make it a 10-4 game.
Lehman would register a hit in the bottom of the ninth, but otherwise Trancucci was able to seal the game, landing CSI the win.
Capellan recorded his first win, going 6.1 innings, allowing nine hits, walking one while fanning five. Trancucci got the save going 1.1 innings of shutout baseball, allowing just the one hit. Oehler took the loss, throwing seven frames, allowing six runs (four earned), walking four, and striking out seven. Nouvertne, Nathan, Becker, and Meola each tallied two hits apiece.
CSI and Lehman will pick up their season series tomorrow with a doubleheader at the CSI Baseball Complex, beginning at 12 Noon. It will complete the three-game season series between the two sides.
