Diaz Crosses 150-Hit Mark, Becomes All-Time Run Scorer as Baseball Rattles CCNY With Hit Barrage

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team came out swinging and hammered out 21 hits against the City College of New York on Wednesday night, defeating the Beavers, 23-5, at the SJC Outdoor Complex.

The win for the Bears (18-9) matched a program best, set last year when the squad produced their first winning season. St. Joseph's completed the season sweep of CCNY (4-26) and have now won five of their last six.

Senior Kevin Diaz (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) had a night to remember, becoming the first Bear to reach 150 career hits, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs in the victory. Diaz also became the Bears all-time leader in runs scored (111), passing Joe Boccia who previously held the record of 109.

CCNY kept the game close through three and a half frames trailing only 3-2, but the Bears pulled away with four runs in the fourth and an impressive fifth inning that saw St. Joseph's plate 12 runs on nine hits thwarting any chance of a Beaver rally.

Sophomore Chris Cutrone (Levittown, NY/Island Trees HS) was 4-for-6 with three RBI and two runs, leading a lineup that saw seven different Bears knock multiple hits. Senior Danny Zaretsky (Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln) drove in three runs and scored four times, matching the single-game record. Freshman Brian Luebcke (Astoria, NY/Monsignor McClancy) knocked in a pair of hits, driving in three runs and scored three times. 

Bears starter Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, NY/Archbishop Molloy) (4-1) earned his fourth win of the season by going five innings allowing five runs (three earned) while striking out six.

Turning Points

With the Beavers cutting the Bears lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth, Cutrone and Diaz teamed up with RBI knocks in the bottom half leading to a four-run inning.

In the fifth, the Bears offense put on a hitting clinic, sending 17 men to bat, ultimately scoring 12 runs on nine hits. Zaretsky and Luebcke each drove in three runs during the marathon inning that was also extended by two Beaver miscues.

Inside the Box Score

• The 23 runs is a season-high for St. Joseph's
• Seven of the nine Bear starters registered multi-hit games and five diferent Bears collected multiple RBI
• CCNY struggled adjusting to the inclement foggy weather conditions, committing six errors in defeat leading to nine unearned runs.

News and Notes

• St. Joseph's moves to 5-3 all-time against CCNY and captures their fourth straight over the Beavers.
• Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) extended his streak of reaching base safely to 19 straight games and broke the single-season record for runs scored with 38, surpassing A.J. Passione who held the previous record in 2009.
• Bears reserve outfielder Nicholas Calabrese (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) drove in his first run of the season with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the sixth.
• Senior Joe Chiusano (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) made his fourth appearance of the season, striking out two in a scoreless inning of work.

Next Up for the Bears - Mount Saint Mary

The Bears have a day off before starting a tough five-game weekend road trip on Friday, April 26 with a single game at Mount Saint Mary at Dutchess Stadium starting at 1 p.m.