The College of Staten Island baseball program mustered up a tie on the road this afternoon at William Paterson, seeing a 4-0 lead end at 4-4 after 9 innings before darkness suspended play. For the Dolphins it was only their fourth tie in program history and their first since a 7-7 tie with Wagner College back on March 22, 1988. The Dolphins are now 6-3-1 this season while William Paterson is 6-6-2.
The Dolphins seemed to be in prime position to earn the win today, but four WPU runs in eighth tied it before both teams went scoreless in the 9th frame.
CSI starter Tom Musso was solid for the Dolphins on the hill and his offense gave him a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Bobby Drake singled in Glenn Glennerster, who reached via a walk by WPU starter Chris Babb. Glennerster moved over the bases via a Pioneers error and an Anthony Lozada single.
The attention then turned to the pitchers. Musso got out of a two-hit jam in the third frame, but beyond that the two starters were sterling, motoring through batters and allowing a total of just three base runners over the next four innings.
Play then moved into the eighth, and CSI hit the WPU bullpen when Adam Miller came in to replace Babb. CSI’s Frank Sconzo started with a walk, and was advanced to second via an Anthony DiMarco sac bunt. Nick Meola followed with a base hit, and that lifted Miller for Zach Polzer. Frank Muzzio proceeded to load the bases on a fielder’s choice that did not result in an out, and then in stepped Frank Colasante to take over pitching duties. That proved fatal, as Glennerster dialed up a base-clearing triple to make it 4-0 prior to Colasante getting out of the inning.
But WPU had time for a tremendous response in their turn of the eighth inning. Musso started by inadvertently plunking Garrett Wiedermann and then Jon Bernotas singled and Matt Ferrara earned a walk to load the bases with no one out. That was it for Musso, who gave way to Jason Failla. Failla recorded a strikeout, but then Anthony Hoagland, Eriq Colon, and Carlos Perez all singled in a run back-to-back to make it 4-3. Up next was Mike Abate with the tying run at third base, and he would do his job, earning a walk that tied the game on a pitch that sailed behind his back. That lifted Failla for Derek Jentz. With a chance to win it, Jentz did well to stifle the Pioneers getting both Rob Eggert ane Wiedermann to strike out to end the inning, tied 4-4.
With darkness creeping in both teams had one final try to win but it was to no avail. Jett Nouvertne started the top half with a single and was moved over to as far as third via a sac and a wild pitch, but he would be left there as Sean Becker flied out to right field to end the top half of the frame. In the bottom half, WPU’s Ferrara earned a one-out walk, but Jentz induced a pop-out and ground-out to end the inning and the game in a 4-4 stalemate.
WPU ended with an 8-7 advantage in hits as Hoagland led all going 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored. CSI’s Glennerster went 3-3 with three RBI and a run plated.
For CSI it was their first tie in 843 games dating back to the opening game of the 1988 season against NCAA Division I Wagner College. One would have to go back to 1981 to find CSI’s last tie against an NCAA Division III opponent, a 6-6 tie back on March 31, 1981, against Upsala College, a school that disbanded back in 1995.
The Dolphins will be right back to work tomorrow, when they play Manhattanville College for a 12 Noon doubleheader at the CSI Baseball Complex.
