Season High 17 Hits Not Enough as Bears Fall to Drew

BROOKLYN, NY – Despite scoring in seven innings and knocking a season-high 17 hits, St. Joseph's could not hold on in a high-scoring affair, losing 14-10 to Drew at MCU Park.  Every Bear starter chipped in at least one hit and each starter also had at least one run or RBI.  The loss drops the Bears to 8-13 on the season while Drew picks up their second straight win and improves to 11-9.

The Bears got on the board first scoring a run in both the first and second innings.  After Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) singled to lead off the home half of the first inning and stole second, Kevin Diaz (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) knocked him in with a blast over the centerfielder's outstretched glove for his second triple of the season.  St. Joseph's doubled up their score in the second inning when Rob Mongiori (Jackson Heights, NY/Monsignor McClancy) drove in Steven Ellis (Broad Channel, NY/St. Francis Prep) with a double to left, giving the Bears a 2-0 lead.

After the Rangers scratched out a run to cut the lead in half, Joe Mendez (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) got it right back with a two-out home run over the left-center field fence.  His second home run of the season gave the Bears their two-run lead back at 3-1.

Though the Bears scored at least one run in seven different innings, Drew used a pair of big innings to pull them ahead.  The first came in the fourth.  After starter Chris Cutrone (Levittown, NY/Island Trees HS) allowed only two hits through three innings, the first seven batters all reached base in the fourth as the Rangers put up a five-run inning to take a 6-3 lead.  All four hits in the inning were singles, the biggest, a two-RBI single from Dominic Reyes, which gave the Rangers their first lead of the game.

St. Joseph's began their upward climb, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the fourth to get to within one run at 6-5.  Joe Boccia (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) plated Ellis and Mike Cundari (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) with his first of three singles on the afternoon.

Drew threatened to add to their lead getting the first two batters to reach base in the fifth, but Cutrone and Bears were able to work their way out of the jam unharmed. 

After a double by Vinny Rossi (Bayside, NY/Holy Cross) set-up runners at second and third with one out in the fifth, Cundari gave St. Joseph's the lead back with a single up the middle to score Mendez and Rossi.  Cutrone exited with a chance for a win, going five innings and allowing six runs on nine hits.

The 7-6 lead was short-lived as Drew had another big inning, this time scoring six runs, all with two outs off of reliever Elvis Diaz (Brooklyn, NY/Christ The King).  The Rangers strung together six hits and a hit batsman to go back on top 12-7.  Drew Obergfell and Michael Bodden each had two-RBI extra-base hits in the inning.

Heading into the eighth inning up 12-8, the Rangers added a pair of unearned runs after the Bears' fifth error of the game to go up 14-8.  Now trailing six, the Bears were able to get the two runs back on RBI singles by Cutrone and Mendez.  St. Joseph's got the first two batters on base to start the bottom of the ninth, but couldn't advance them, falling to the Rangers 14-10.

Boccia, Mendez, McKenna and Cundari all finished with three hits apiece while Boccia, Mendez, Cundari and Diaz all knocked in two runs.  In addition to his three hits, McKenna also scored two runs and stole two bases.

Obergfell finished the game with a game-high four hits while also scoring and driving in a pair of runs.  Bodden picked up a game-high three RBI while Chris DelMaestro and Neil Cashes each scored three runs.  Kyle O'Neill picked up the win for Drew, his first of the season pitching 4.2 innings in relief and allowing five runs on ten hits.

The Bears head to Randall's Island tomorrow afternoon for a road tilt with CCNY.  St. Joseph's defeated the Beavers 11-0 on March 21^st at Padavan-Preller Fields.  First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 pm.