Newbury College Edges Bears Baseball

BROOKLYN, NY – Anthony Langone (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) had two RBI and two runs and Jon Mendez(Brooklyn, NY/Xavarian) drove in two as the St. Joseph's College baseball team (12-20) lost two games to Newbury College(6-26) on Sunday afternoon in very hot and sunny weather at Juniper Park in Middle Village, Queens.  The losses extend the Bears losing skid to six games.

The Bears fell behind 4-0 in the first game, allowing two runs in the first and fourth innings.  St. Joseph's plated two runs in the fifth staying within reach, when Steven Tanamal(Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht) led off with a single and scored on a Langone double.  Langone later scored on a Mendez single to center field.  Newbury added an insurance run in the seventh to extend their lead to three.  Tanamal singled to start the seventh in the hopes of starting a rally, but a foul fly out and a line drive into a double play ended the game 5-2.

Langone finished the game going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI.  Keith Juricich(San Mateo, CA/Canada College) received the loss on the mound going six innings, allowing four runs (one unearned), striking out three and walking one.  At the plate, Juricich went 2-for-3.  Tanamal finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.

St. Joseph's turned the tables in game two, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead which was started off by a Joseph Boccia(Westwood, NJ/Westwood) leadoff home run in the bottom first.  Langone walked and stole second and Mendez delivered him home with another RBI single.  In the second, the Newbury starter ran into some control problems, issuing four walks including two the bases loaded to score Mario Noriega (Los Angeles, CA/South Pasadena) and Kevin Hernandez (Queens, NY/Newtown HS).

Newbury scored solo runs in the third and fourth off starter Nolan Smith(Queens, NY/St. Edmund's) who went four innings in a no-decision, striking out four, walking one and allowing three hits and two runs.  Newbury took a 7-4 lead in the fifth with a five-run inning against the Bears middle relief in an inning compounded by two defensive miscues.

St. Joseph's threatened in the bottom half of the frame with two straight walks by Langone and Mendez.  Juricich singled to load the bases.  John Porcelli(Brooklyn, NY/Xavarian) scored Langone with a sacrifice fly.  Noriega struck out for the second out and Hernandez walked to reload the bases.  Danny Contant (Staten Island, NY/Xavarian) flied out to right to end the rally.  Contant, who was scheduled to pitch in the sixth, was forced to bat after Mendez came in to pitch from the DH spot in top half of the inning.

Contant held Newbury to one run in the final two innings, but the Bears couldn't generate any momentum to score more runs and fell 8-5.

Mendez finished the game 2-for-3, the only Bear with a multiple-hit game.  Boccia, A.J. Passione(Brooklyn, NY/Xavarian), Juricich and Noriega accounted for the Bears other four hits and Langone scored twice.  Mendez received the loss in relief, his second on the season.

St. Joseph's returns to action on Wednesday, April 29 facing United States Merchant Marine Academy on the road for a single game.  First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.