By Anthony DiCocco
Local teams from across all three NCAA Divisions took the diamond on Friday. Here’s how the action unfolded on a busy day.
Division I:
Stony Brook 15, Towson 5 F/8
The Seawolves came out firing on all cylinders offensively against Aden Knowles. With one runner on in the opening inning, Chanz Doughty belted a two-run homer to left field. From there, Stony Brook strung three consecutive singles together to load the bases for Matt Jackson, who cleared them with a triple before eventually scoring on a groundout.
After Towson plated a pair against Hunter Colagrande in the bottom of the frame, Nick Dromboski crushed a homer in the top of the second. Still, Towson did not fade just yet, as Brian Heckelman picked up a run batted in (RBI) on a single before Max D’Alessandro doubled in two more to pull the Tigers within 7-5 in the second.
Stony Brook’s lead stayed at two runs until the top of the sixth when it exploded for another five runs to put the game away. With Joey Tuttoilmondo on the mound, Dromboski singled home a pair of runners and during the ensuing at-bat, Doughty went deep for his second homer of the day to make it 11-5. To cap off the outburst, Chris Carson went back-to-back with Doughty by sending a ball over the center field fence.
Scott Gell added a three-run tank in the eighth for good measure.
After Hunter Colagrande allowed five runs in 1 ⅔ innings, Aidan earned the win in relief, allowing two hits and a walk over 3 ⅓ scoreless frames. Luca Mannino was also stellar from the bullpen, as he earned a nine-out save and allowed just one walk with a strikeout in his three hitless and shutout innings.
Dromboski went 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs and four runs scored, raising his on-base plus slugging to 1.009 for the season. Gell went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs while Carson fell a triple shy of the cycle.
Mike Cervoni drove in a run and Jackson plated three with his triples. Doughty notched a pair of two-run shots while Nick Zampieron also added two hits.
Brady Nathison led the TIgers with two hits. D’Alessandro drove in two runs while Heckelman, Keldrin Rodriguez and Nick LoBello all tallied one RBI.
The Seawolves will aim to clinch the series win on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Hofstra 0, Northeastern 8
In a game that was a pitchers’ duel through its first five innings, Carlos Martinez faltered first. After Northeastern scored a first inning run, Martinez was rock solid over the next four frames, but the Huskies cracked through his armor in the sixth during their third time through the order.
Following a leadoff single, Matt Brinker clubbed a two-run home run to left field to make it 3-0. Martinez responded with a strikeout, but was pulled in favor of Brayden Gregg after a hit-by-pitch. The runner eventually came around to score on an RBI knock by Charlie Criscola and before putting the inning to bed, Henry DiGiorgio singled home one more run.
On the other side, Robbie O’Connor dealt. The right-hander fired six scoreless innings to the tune of five hits, no walks and seven strikeouts to never let the Pride’s lineup find a rhythm.
In the eighth inning, Tyler Harmony notched an RBI single before Harrison Feinberg helped two more runners cross the plate with a double.
Over 5 ⅓ innings, Martinez surrendered four runs on five hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch while punching out nine batters. In relief, Northeastern’s Andrew Rogovic hurled two hitless, shutout innings with three strikeouts while David Sweeney allowed a hit and tallied one strikeout in his lone inning of work.
Brinker went 2-for-3 with a homer, three RBIs and a walk. Ryan Gerety totaled three hits and Feinberg doubled home two runs. Harmony and DiGiorgio each tallied two hits and an RBI while Criscola drove in a run on his lone hit.
Nick Biddle was the only Hofstra hitter to record multiple hits. JJ DeVito picked up their lone extra-base knock with a double.
The Pride will look to even the series in the middle game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Game 1: Delaware State 4, LIU 6
Game 2: Delaware State 1, LIU 11 F/7
After each team traded blows in the second inning of game one, the Sharks plated three in the third to take a 4-1 lead. With the bases loaded and no outs, Jack Kelleher singled home two runs and immediately after, Elijah Fairchild followed with a base hit of his own to score one more.
The Hornets scratched a pair of runs across in the fifth inning to cut their deficit to one run, but LIU restored its three-run advantage in the sixth. After Sean Ely issued a leadoff walk, Joseph Durso cracked an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.
Santino Hardwood doubled home a run in the seventh inning to inch closer, but Nicholas Finarelli stranded him to end the frame. From there, Alex Jankowski entered, as he worked around a walk in the eighth before leaving the tying runs on base in the ninth to secure the save.
Finarelli struck out nine batters over seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks. Jankowski pitched two scoreless frames and struck out two Hornets while allowing a run, walk and hit-by-pitch.
For Delaware State, Michael Lane coughed up four runs on seven hits, a walk and nine punch outs.
Unlike game one, the Sharks were fully able to run away with the second half of the twin bill.
After the Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, Nick Matson singled home a run in the bottom of the frame and eventually scored on a wild pitch to flip the score. LIU added two more runs in the fourth before erupting in the fifth.
Matthew McGurk scored Matson with a single and Mike Polubinski followed with a two-run homer. Later in the inning, Ryan Rivera picked up an RBI single.
While LIU thumped Jeremy Vest, Dale Fry was brilliant for the Sharks. Across 6 ⅔ innings, Fry surrendered an unearned run on seven hits and no walks while recording five strikeouts.
Noah Sorenson accumulated four hits across both games while Cord Dobrinski crushed two homers for three RBIs. Rivera drove in a pair of runs, as did Kelleher. McGurk homered and drove in two runs while scoring three times in game two.
Matson tallied three knocks in game two with an RBI while Fairchild notched two in the opener while plating a runner. Polubinski’s lone hit was a two-run shot and Durso doubled in a run.
On Saturday, the Sharks will gun for a sweep as the series comes to an end with a 10 a.m. start.
George Mason 4, Fordham 11
The Rams fell behind 2-1 in the top of the fourth, but responded with a six spot of their own to never look back. With the bases juiced and no one out, Tim Ford doubled in two runners and two batters later, Caden Young scored on a passed ball.
Logan Rumberg was yanked in favor of Owen Stewart, who eventually hurled a wild pitch to plate another run. To cap off the scoring for the fourth, Joey Donnelly sent a two-RBI single into right field.
In the top of the seventh, Jake Butler and Matthew Westley went back-to-back off Beau Elson to cut Fordham’s lead to 7-4, but the Rams got three runs back to cancel it out and then some. After Ford notched a ground-rule double to score one run, Tommy Markey singled home two more runners.
In the eighth, Mason Dean, who went 4-for-5 on the day, recorded a run-scoring single to add insult to injury.
Ford went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs while Donnelly plated a pair and notched two hits. Anthony Grabau’s lone hit was a solo homer and he crossed home plate three times.
Markey totaled two RBIs and Taylor Kirk collected two hits and a walk.
Aside from Butler and Westley’s bombs, Lucas Alberti picked up the Patriots’ other RBI and scored on a wild pitch.
Elson had a nice day on the mound, going seven innings while allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits, a walk and six strikeouts.
The Rams will lock horns with George Mason again on Sunday in a doubleheader. Game one is set for 11 a.m.
St. John’s 12, Xavier 7
In a back-and-forth affair, the Red Storm ultimately prevailed on the back of a big seventh inning.
St. John’s and Xavier matched each other for most of the game. Each side scored two runs in the first before mirroring each other again with a run apiece in the fifth. The Musketeers kept pace for one more inning, as each team scored three runs in the sixth, but St. John’s broke the trend with a six-run seventh.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Karter Muck heaved a wild pitch to score a run. After hitting Adam Agresti to refill the bases, Muck was pulled for Owen Poole, who was rudely welcomed into the game after Will Cowan singled in two more runners.
Two batters later, Ayden Frey doubled in another runner before Rob Mansour registered an RBI single that ended up scoring two runners because of a throwing error.
Jon LeGrande accumulated three hits with a homer while Agresti scored three times two hits, including a two-run bomb. Cowan totaled four RBIs on two hits. Frey, Mansour and Shaun McMillan all notched multi-hit games, with Frey driving in a pair and Mansour picking up one RBI.
Jorge Valdes racked up four hits and an RBI for the Musketeers while Josh Stonehouse drove in two runs, scored three and totaled three hits. Peter Johnson and Clay Burdette both recorded RBIs, as did Jonathan Fitz, who also recorded four knocks. Donovan Canterberry hit safely three times.
After Liam O’Leary allowed six runs (five earned) on 12 hits over 5 ⅓ innings, Victor Frederick went 3 ⅔ frames, allowing one run on six hits, a walk and two hit batsmen while striking out three batters.
Despite striking out seven Johnnies in 5 ⅔ innings, Ryan Piech surrendered six runs for Xavier.
The Johnnies and the Musketeers are set to duel once again at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Division II:
St. Thomas Aquinas 4, Molloy 17
With the Lions already up 3-0 in their pursuit of extending their winning streak to 22 games, Molloy’s bats came alive for 12 runs in the fifth inning, helping it clinch the East Coast Conference regular-season crown.
Sean Welsh stepped up to the plate with two runners on and singled, scoring one and chasing Cole Lindquist from the game. Upon entering, William Fleck immediately served up an RBI single to Steve Mulqueen and following another single that loaded the bases, a fielding error brought another runner home.
From there, Fleck walked in a run before Jeremy Taggart singled home two more runners. After Jack Vallario doubled in a run and Mike Sweeney drove in two more with a single, Mulqueen entered the batter’s box for the second time in the frame and crushed a three-run homer.
On top of their potent lineup, the Lions’ starter turned in a dominant performance. James Sill allowed just one hit and one walk over seven shutout innings while striking out seven batters.
Mulqueen and Taggart picked up four and three hits, respectively, while collecting five RBIs apiece. Sweeney plated a pair of runners while Vallario, Welsh and Serrano each drove in one. Welsh and Brian Sanchez recorded multi-hit games as well.
Yadier Flores notched a three-run homer for the Spartans in the eighth.
Molloy will continue its four-game series with the Spartans with a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. on Sunday, with a chance to extend its historic winning streak even further.
Game 1: Queens 8, D’Youville 2
Game 2: Queens 2, D’Youville 3 F/7
The Saints immediately got off to a 2-0 start in the opener, but the Knights were able to turn the score around late in the game. After cutting the deficit in half in the fourth, Tommy Pasqua tied the game in the sixth with an RBI single before Connor Waiting dumped a two-run single into center field to make it 4-2.
Queens scratched an unearned run across the plate in the seventh before posting three more runs in the eighth. With the bases loaded, Mihir Manerikar struck out two batters, but walked in a run before allowing an RBI knock to Christian Aguilar before he could escape the jam.
Greg Orcutt relieved him from there, but walked Nick Piazza to cap off the scoring.
Billy Morris surrendered three runs over 5 ⅔ innings for D’Youville, but he was no match for Michael Vilardi. The right-hander threw a complete game for the Knights, allowing two unearned runs on five hits and three walks with a strikeout.
However, the Saints came out on the winning side of a pitchers’ duel in game two.
Jakob Denali went the distance for D’Youville, as he racked up 13 strikeouts in seven innings while allowing two runs on five knocks, a walk and a hit batsman.
Severino Napolitano Jr. pieced together a solid outing in his own right. While toeing the rubber for the Knights, Napolitano Jr. went five innings with four strikeouts and coughed up two runs on seven hits and a walk.
Unlike the Knights, the Saints were able to get to their opposition’s bullpen, which made all the difference. Jordan Babbo took the mound in the sixth and sandwiched a single between a walk and a hit-by-pitch, setting the stage for Jake Hollins to single the go-ahead run in.
Peter Nenadich III put out the fire from there, but Queens was retired in order in the seventh to end it.
During the second half of the set, Joshua Angely homered and Waiting drove in his third run of the day after totaling two RBIs in the opener. Piazza doubled with three RBIs in game one while Aguilar, Pasqua and Paul Fiene all drove in a run. Peter Bounougias accumulated four hits across both games, including three doubles.
Hollins, Colby Wilson and Michael Huff all recorded RBIs for the Saints. Wilson doubled in game two while Morris and Kevin Del Vecchio both tripled in the opener.
The two sides will butt heads again on Saturday at noon.
Division III:
Game 1: Maritime 1, Farmingdale 15 F/7
Game 2: Maritime 9, Farmingdale 11
In the opening contest, the Rams rode a big second inning to victory. After scoring a run on an error to pull ahead 2-1, Farmingdale loaded the bases for Richie Heyder, who blasted a grand slam to right field off Joe Demos to make it 6-1 Rams.
Later on, Farmingdale plated five runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to cruise to a blowout win in seven innings. Over that span, Ryan Wasserman notched an RBI double in the fifth before bounding a ground-rule double over the fence to drive in two more runs during the following inning.
In game two, the Privateers posted five runs in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead, but Farmingdale stormed back in a big way. After getting a run back in the bottom of the inning, the Rams scored four runs in the sixth and seventh innings to move ahead 11-6.
With a runner on second and one out in the sixth, Richie Heyder singled a run homer off Francis Montalvo. Immediately after, Randy Ventura committed errors on consecutive plays to gift-wrap a run and more for Farmingdale.
Sean Mylan relieved Montalvo, but allowed a run-scoring single to Christian Villacci before throwing a wild pitch to bring one more runner to the plate.
In the seventh, John Francisco delivered a sacrifice fly before Dom Lafroscia sent a three-run shot to right field.
Maritime put up a fight in the ninth, as they scored three runs, but Thomas O’Neill got Guytano Kiesel looking to strand the tying runs on base.
During the doubleheader, Lafroscia racked up seven RBIs while Heyder totaled four. Wasserman drove in a run and scored five times while Mike Kocovic added five hits and three RBIs.
Vincent Deiosso, Matt Faraone, Kaolis Delacruz, Francisco and Villacci all recorded an RBI each.
Across both games, Maritime’s Harry Leipold totaled three RBIs. In game two, Alex Bardi and Chris Picarella each notched two RBIs while Joey Goodman and Dylan Payano picked up one apiece.
Derek Watts earned the win in relief, allowing three runs on two hits, three walks and a hit batsman over 3 ⅔ innings. Christian Pellegrino surrendered four runs in 4 ⅓ as the Rams’ starter while Ryan Morash allowed four of his own over 5 ⅔ frames for Maritime.
Following the doubleheader, Farmingdale will play another two-game set starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, this time against St. Joseph’s Brooklyn. Conversely, the Mariners will face off against St. Joseph’s Long Island on the same day with their doubleheader kicking off at noon.
Game 1: Old Westbury 8, Manhattan 2
Game 2: Manhattanville 15, Old Westbury 13
In Game 1, the Panthers rode the right arm of ace Vinny Giambona, who pitched a CG, allowing just 2 runs (1 ER) and struck out 7 to lower his ERA to 2.08.
The offense provided him an early 4-0 lead and that’s all he would need.
JT Torres went 3-for-4 and JJ Palumbo went 2-for-4. Palumbo also had 5 hits in Game 2 of the DH to go 7-for-10 on the day. Brandon Hernandez, Donny Whalen and James Reilly all had multi hit games as well.
They’ll be back in action on Sunday against Yeshiva.