Offensive Outburst Sinks Maritime as Baseball Splits Season Opener

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Senior Mike Cundari (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) belted out five hits and drove in four runs while Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) tossed five strong innings as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team defeated Maritime College, 13-3, before falling to Brandeis University, 10-6, in their 2014 opener Friday afternoon in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational at Chain of Lakes Park Stadium.

In the first game of the day, Cundari opened the season with a 4-for-4 day at the plate, falling a home run shy of the cycle, and driving in three runs. DiLorenzo secured his first win of the year, giving up two runs (one earned) while striking out six and scattering eight hits over five strong innings. Six different Bears plated runs led by Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) who scored four times and brought in two runs of his own.

D'Juan Seymour and Brian McLaughlin each drove in a run for the Privateers (0-2) in a losing effort.

The Bears (1-1) never trailed in the contest jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first after a throwing error scored Anthony Inserillo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund's) and a Vinny Rossi (Bayside, N.Y./Holy Cross) run-scoring groundout.

After Maritime put across a run in the second, St. Joseph's scored two in the bottom of the third on Cundari's two-run double. In the fourth after a wild pitch scored a run, the Bears slapped back-to-back RBI triples from Cundari and McKenna to push the lead to 7-2.

A six-run fifth inning ballooned a Bears' double-digit lead, the game ending after seven by run rule.

In the second game, the Bears got off to a slow start held hitless the first time through the lineup and Brandeis scoring first with two runs in the second off starter Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees), aided by a Bears miscue.

St. Joseph's took the lead back opening the fourth inning with four straight hits – their first hits of the game – and RBI singles from Cundari, Joe Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) put Bears up 3-2. St. Joseph's threatened for more leaving the bases loaded after taking the lead.

After the two-run second, Cutrone settled in on the mound and appeared to be in total control retiring 13 straight batters until a two-out, four-run rally in the sixth gave the Judges the lead for good. Brandeis tacked on three more runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth to take an insurmountable lead.

The Bears were unable to get anything going offensively until their final frame, making the most of two Brandeis errors to score three runs, but couldn't get the tying run to the plate.

Brandeis (3-1) was led by Brian Ing who was 3-for-4 with three RBI. Tom McCarthy was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Greg Heineman went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair driven in.

TURNING POINT - GAME 1

With St. Joseph's up 7-2, the game was put away after St. Joseph's reeled off six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) scored on a fielding error at third, two runs scored on Brian Luebcke (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) and Inserillo fielder's choices. Rossi drove in Cundari on a groundout and a Cutrone RBI single put the game out of reach as the Bears sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame.

TURNING POINT - GAME 2

Cutrone retired 13 batters straight preserving a one-run lead before issuing a seemingly harmless two-out walk to the Judges' number three hitter. Greg Heineman immediately make the Bears pay with a triple to the right field corner that tied the game at three. A Tom McCarthy RBI single followed to give Brandeis the lead for good. The Judges knocked two more hits to build a 6-3 lead and the Bears couldn't muster anything at the plate.

UP NEXT FOR THE BEARS - FRANKLIN

The Bears will take on Franklin College Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. in Lake Myrtle, Florida. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com with updates on Twitter on @SJCBears.