BIG INNINGS PROPEL KEAN OVER CSI BASEBALL, 15-3

The College of Staten Island men’s baseball squad saw their five-game winning skein snapped this afternoon, dropping a non-conference decision at the hands of Kean University, 15-3, in a single non-conference affair at the CSI Baseball Complex.  The win improved the visiting Cougars to 16-6 overall this season, while the Dolphins evened to 11-11.

Kean was able to break a 3-3 stalemate with six runs in the fifth and another six runs in the seventh to put the Dolphins, who stranded seven runners on base, away.  The Cougars grabbed the first lead of the game off of Anthony Colucci in the top half of the first inning.  The CSI starter walked the bases loaded with two outs before Dylan Laguna laced a bases-clearing triple to the right-field corner to put the Cougars up 3-0.  Laguna was stranded on third base, but Kean had a 3-0 advantage with the benefits of only a single hit.

CSI countered, however, in their turn of the first off of Kean starter Julian Diaz.  A Frank Smith single brought in Luis Ortiz, who led off with a single and was advanced on a sac bunt and a Sal Todaro single.  After issuing a walk to load up the bags, Diaz then plunked CSI’s George Kantzian to advance Todaro home, and Smith followed one at-bat later when a would-be pick-off throw attempt by Diaz sailed into the outfield.  At the end of the first frame, the score was knotted at 3-3.

Both teams settled from there, as Dan Hansen came in for five sterling relief innings for Kean and Colucci settled to throw three solid innings before Kean’s big fifth inning.  A Nick Ramagli RBI-double got the scoring started, and Shane Alvarez followed with an RBI-single.  With the bases loaded, Colucci was lifted for Nick Amatucci, who promptly walked in a run by Eddie Jennings, and then yielded a two-RBI single up the middle to Laguna, who put the visitors in complete control, 9-3.

Joe O’Connor hit an RBI-single in the seventh to get Kean’s other big inning started and later a sac fly by Vinny Galya and another bases-clearing three-RBI triple by Alvarez put a cap on the damage.  On the defensive side, Kean yielded only two CSI baserunners over the final four innings to cruise to the finish line.

The Cougars out-hit the Dolphins, 11-7, led by Laguna’s 3-4 performance with five RBI and a run scored.  Hansen took the relief win, tossing five innings, allowing no runs on three hits with four strikeouts.  The final line on Colucci, who took the loss, was four innings with eight runs allowed on only four hits, with six walks and two strikeouts.

CSI will get back to action with another non-conference test tomorrow.  The team will travel to Kings Point to take on the United States Merchant Marine Academy for a single, non-conference, test at 4pm.

Both teams settled from there, as Dan Hansen came in for five sterling relief innings for Kean and Colucci settled to throw three solid innings before Kean’s big fifth inning.  A Nick Ramagli RBI-double got the scoring started, and Shane Alvarez followed with an RBI-single.  With the bases loaded, Colucci was lifted for Nick Amatucci, who promptly walked in a run by Eddie Jennings, and then yielded a two-RBI single up the middle to Laguna, who put the visitors in complete control, 9-3.

Joe O’Connor hit an RBI-single in the seventh to get Kean’s other big inning started and later a sac fly by Vinny Galya and another bases-clearing three-RBI triple by Alvarez put a cap on the damage.  On the defensive side, Kean yielded only two CSI baserunners over the final four innings to cruise to the finish line.

The Cougars out-hit the Dolphins, 11-7, led by Laguna’s 3-4 performance with five RBI and a run scored.  Hansen took the relief win, tossing five innings, allowing no runs on three hits with four strikeouts.  The final line on Colucci, who took the loss, was four innings with eight runs allowed on only four hits, with six walks and two strikeouts.

CSI will get back to action with another non-conference test tomorrow.  The team will travel to Kings Point to take on the United States Merchant Marine Academy for a single, non-conference, test at 4pm.