Bears Set School Single-Season Wins Record in Split at Canton

CANTON, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team set a new school-record with their 19th win of the season as they split a doubleheader with SUNY Canton falling in game one, 9-8, before taking the nightcap, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon.

The Bears (19-11) break the school-record of 18 wins set last season and end a two-game losing streak while the Roos (11-20) see their four-game winning streak come to an end.

Game one was a back and forth contest as neither team was able to separate themselves from one another. St. Joseph's had a 4-3 lead after four innings of play before both teams put up a four spot in the fifth with the Bears holding an 8-7 advantage heading into the sixth. The Roos picked up two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take their first lead of the game at 9-8 and would hold on for the victory.

Sophomore Matt Brigando (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) took the mound for the Bears in game one and went five innings allowing six earned runs on eight hits while fanning three earning the no-decision.  Junior Chris Vargas (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) (1-1) relieved Brigando in the sixth and surrendered two earned runs and two hits to pick up the loss.

The nightcap saw a pitchers' duel breakout as both teams combined for only nine hits. St. Joseph's got on the board early scoring two runs in the top of the first before SUNY Canton responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning. The Bears tacked on another run in the second to take a 3-1 lead that would prove to be enough as sophomore starting pitcher Chris Cutrone (Levittown, NY/Island Trees HS) (4-5) allowed only two hits after the first inning.

Cutrone threw his seventh complete game of the season in the nightcap allowing only one earned run on four hits while walking only one with two punchouts.  James Amelotte (0-6) went the distance for the Roos surrendering two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts.

Cutrone led the Bears at the plate over the two games going 3-for-7 with two runs scored and an RBI. Junior Mike Cundari (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) went 2-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI while senior teammate Kevin Diaz (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) concluded the day going 2-for-7 with two runs scored and his 16th stolen base of the year.

TURNING POINT – GAME ONE

After St. Joseph's put up a four spot in the top of the fifth to take their largest lead of the game at 8-3, SUNY Canton responded with four runs in their half of the fifth to cut the deficit to 8-7 heading to the sixth.

St. Joseph's was able to get a runner in scoring position with only one out but the threat was extinguished after a groundout and strikeout. In their ensuing at bat the Roos sent six batters to the plate with two of them scoring helped by a single and double in back-to-back at bats to give them a 9-8 lead after six they would not relinquish as the Bears went down in order in the seventh inning.

TURNING POINT – GAME TWO

St. Joseph's opened the nightcap with a double from Diaz and a single from Cutrone giving the Bears runners on second and third and no outs. Sophomore Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) would follow with a sacrifice fly to right field putting St. Joseph's on the board before junior Joe Mendez (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) drove in another run with a groundout to second base giving the Bears a 2-0 lead after their first at bat.

SUNY Canton responded with a run in the bottom half of the first to cut the deficit to 2-1 but St. Joseph's tacked on an insurance run with a RBI single by freshman Brian Luebcke (Astoria, NY/Monsignor McClancy) giving the Bears a 3-1 lead that proved to be insurmountable as Cutrone stymied the Roos offense.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• In game one, the Roos scored six of their runs with two outs.
• In game two, the two teams combined for four hits after the second inning.
• Luebcke finished the day going 2-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI.

NEWS AND NOTES

• McKenna extends his reached base safely streak to 22 games after recording a hit in both games and is three hits shy of 100 for his career. He is also one hit shy of tying the single-season record of 49 set by him last season and Diaz in 2011.
• Mendez is one RBI shy of 100 for his career.
• The all-time series is tied at 2-2 after the split.

UP NEXT FOR THE BEARS – SUNY IT

The Bears conclude their five-game weekend road trip with a matchup against SUNYIT tomorrow, April 28th with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.