Diaz Blasts Three Homers, Bears Split Heartbreaker With Lehman

BRONX, NY – Sophomore outfielder Kevin Diaz (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) homered three times in the opener of a doubleheader against Lehman College helping erase a five-run deficit to lead the St. Joseph's College baseball team to a 15-12 victory.  In the nightcap, the Bears led by as many as seven runs, but could not hold off the Lightning who chipped away at the lead, overcoming the Bears in their final at bat, 11-10.

Diaz nearly hit for the home-run cycle, blasting a solo, two-run and three-run homers in his first three at bats.  His three homers matched his season total entering the game and matched the single-game record set by Joe Harten (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) earlier this season against Mount Saint Vincent.  For the twinbill, Diaz collected six hits, six RBI and six runs scored.

Keith Juricich (San Mateo, CA/Serra) knocked four hits with three RBI, two runs scored, two doubles, a triple and a stolen base.  Jon Mendez (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) accumulated four hits with six runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base.  Joseph Boccia (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) had four hits, four runs scored, two walks and a stolen base.  Chris Davidson (San Carlos, CA/Carlmont) had a trifecta of hits and runs scored.

Mykelle Cortez (Brooklyn, NY/Cobble Hill) earned the win in relief in game one, tossing five innings, allowing six hits and four runs, striking out four.

Amadoernesto Guzman led Lehman College (5-12) with five hits, five RBI, three runs and a home run and double.  Raul Cordero and Jeremy Lopez each had four hits combining to score seven runs.  Bobby Villante scored six runs. 

St. Joseph's returns to the diamond on Thursday, April 8, hosting Drew University for a single-game at Xaverian High School.  First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Game 1 – St. Joseph's 15, Lehman 12

Both teams exchanged single tallies in the opening frame, Diaz hitting a solo home run for St. Joseph's.  The Bears posted another run in the second, but Lehman broke away scoring five runs in the bottom half. 

Diaz's second homer of the game helped St. Joseph's get three runs back in the third, but Lehman got them right back scoring four runs to take a 10-5 lead and knocking starter Danny Contant (Staten Island, NY/Xaverian) off the mound.

Diaz's three-run blast in the fourth inning started the Bears comeback, St. Joseph's plating four runs in the inning to trail by one 10-9.  St. Joseph's added another six runs in the fifth to take the lead for good, helped by three Lehman errors in the inning. 

In the seventh, Lehman picked up two runs off reliever Cortez and threatened bringing the tying run to the plate, but Cortez shut down the Lightning to earn his first win of the season.

Diaz finished the game going 4-for-5 with six RBI, four runs scored and three home runs.

Game 2 – Lehman 11, St. Joseph's 10

St. Joseph's jumped on Lehman starter Arturo Lazaro Jr. for four straight hits to lead off the game en route to a four run inning.  The Bears plated three more runs in the second on an RBI double by Mendez and a two run single by Harten, extending their lead to 7-0.  Lehman scored three runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame and added a single tally in the third to trail 7-4.

Mendez and Davidson led off the fourth with back-to-back singles and scored later in the inning on a Juricich double and Langone fielder's choice.  Lehman continued to cut away at the Bears lead scoring four runs in the bottom half of the fourth capped by a three-run home by Amadoernesto Guzman that pulled the Lightning within one, 9-8 and brought in Paul Piccirillo (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) to relieve starter Chris Coffey (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund's).

Both teams exchanged runs in the fifth and were held scoreless in the sixth to take the one run game into the final inning.

After St. Joseph's failed to score in the top half of the inning, the top of Lehman's lineup came up to bat in their half of the frame.  Piccirillo walked the leadoff batter, and a miscue by the Bears put runners at first and second.  Piccirillo struck out the number three hitter, but a ground rule double by the cleanup hitter Guzman brought home the tying run and then Lehman completed the comeback with a single up the middle scoring the go-ahead run.

Guzman finished the game for Lehman going 4-for-5 with five RBI and two runs scored.

Mendez led the Bears with a 3-for-4 outing with three runs scored and a pair of RBI.  Piccirillo took the loss on the mound tossing 3.1 innings and allowing three runs (one earned), striking out three.