Cutrone Tosses Shutout as Baseball Salvages Split With SUNYIT

YAPHANK, N.Y. – Junior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees HS) threw a complete game shutout as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team split a doubleheader with SUNYIT, dropping a 7-6 decision in game one before earning a 1-0 triumph in the second game on Sunday afternoon at Baseball Heaven.

The shutout win in game two is the first 1-0 shutout victory in the program's seven-year history.

St. Joseph's (7-6) remains over .500 on the season and has won six of their last eight games, while SUNYIT (5-8) has dropped four of their last five ball games.

The first game of the day saw the Bears jump out to an early 3-1 lead after two innings of play, helped by a Cutrone two-RBI single and a Francis Rapp (Oceanside, N.Y./Baldwin) RBI single up the middle. After surrendering an unearned run in the first, St. Joseph's starter Donny Pagano (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) settled in and pitched three shutout innings.

The Bears were not able to add onto their lead as Wildcats starter Jeff Albright put up two consecutive scoreless innings going into the fifth. SUNYIT took the lead for good with a six-run fifth to take a 7-3 lead, chasing Pagano with two outs in the frame.

The Wildcats carried a four-run lead into St. Joseph's last at bat and needed all four runs as the Bears started a rally with back-to-back singles from junior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and senior Mike Cundari (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's). Senior Joe Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) followed that up with a three-run shot to left center that found its way over the fence to make it 7-6. However, SUNYIT neutralized the St. Joseph's threat with a pair of groundouts to end the game.

Pagano went 4 2/3 innings, allowing six runs (one earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and took the loss falling to 0-3 on the year.

A pitcher's duel broke out between Cutrone and Wildcats starter Joseph Redmond in game two. The two pitchers went toe-to-toe for the entire game, putting up zeroes on the scoreboard . The two teams combined for only 12 hits in the game, but shaky SUNYIT defensive play – the Wildcats committing five miscues in the nightcap – came back to haunt them as St. Joseph's was able to break through with the lone run of the game in the sixth on a pair of errors by the Wildcats defense.

SUNYIT had runners on first and third with two outs in the top of the seventh, but Cutrone fielded a grounder hit right back to him and threw it to first to end the threat and clinch the victory.

Cutrone went the distance scattering seven hits and one walk, while striking out three to improve to 2-1 on the mound this year.

Mendez had a good day at the plate for the Bears, going 2-for-7 with a run scored and three RBI. Cundari finished 4-for-6 with two runs scored, while McKenna went 4-for-7 with three runs scored. Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) also contributed going 2-for-4 at the dish, while Cutrone went 1-for-6 with two RBIs on the day.

TURNING POINT – GAME ONE

With St. Joseph's leading 3-1 after four innings, SUNYIT sent nine batters to the plate with six of them scoring to open up a 7-3 lead and force Pagano out of the game. The Wildcats received back-to-back RBI doubles in the frame and were also aided by a Bears error.

Mendez got St. Joseph's within one, 7-6, with his first home run of the season in the seventh, but back-to-back groundouts got SUNYIT the win.

TURNING POINT – GAME TWO

After 5 1/2 scoreless innings of play, the Bears would plate the lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back singles from McKenna and Cundari put runners on first and second and no outs with Mendez at the plate. Mendez hit a ball to the shortstop who threw to second to get Cundari before two errors by SUNYIT allowed McKenna to score what would be the winning run. Cutrone got out of a runners on first and third jam to secure the victory for the Bears.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORES

• Other Contributors: Rapp (2-for-7, RBI) Nicholas LoPrinzi (1-for-6) Anthony Inserillo (1-for-5, R)
• The two teams combined for 22 hits in game one.
• Mendez's home run in the opener was the Bears' lone extra-base hit on the afternoon.
• Game one saw both teams record two errors, while game two saw the Wildcats commit five errors compared to one for the Bears.
• There were only five walks issued combined on the day.
• The two squads combined to leave 27 runners on base over the course of the day.

THE BEAR FACTS

• With the split the Bears are now 3-3 all-time against the Wildcats.
• Cundari is now one run shy of 100 for his career.
• Mendez is the second Bear to reach double-digit career home runs and pulls within three of matching the all-time Bears record of 13.
• St. Joseph's is now 3-1 at home on the year.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARS – MARITIME

St. Joseph's has nearly a week off before traveling to SUNY Maritime for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29th at 11 a.m.