Baseball Gameday: Bears vs. King's and John Jay

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (12-8) plays three games this weekend, beginning with a game against HVIAC foe King's (N.Y.) at 11 a.m on Saturday before hosting John Jay at James Madison High School for a doubleheader on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Game Information

St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (12-8) at King's (N.Y.) (0-0)
Saturday, April 12th • 1:15 p.m.
Victory Field • Maspeth, N.Y.
Live Stats

St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (11-8) vs. John Jay (3-14, 2-1 CUNYAC)
Sunday, April 13th • 12 p.m.
James Madison High School • Brooklyn, N.Y.
Live Stats

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Storylines

• The Bears look to improve to 3-0 against the Lions and 12-3 versus the Bloodhounds.
• St. Joseph's tries to move to 6-2 in games played on Saturday and 5-3 in Sunday contests.
• With a win against CCNY on Thursday and victories over King's and a sweep of John Jay the Bears would be a season-high seven games over .500 and winners of nine of their last 11 games.
• St. Joseph's looks to move to 7-3 in home games this season and with wins against CCNY and King's the Bears would be 7-1 in true road games.
• The Lions play their first game of the season, while John Jay hopes to sweep back-to-back doubleheaders.

Series History

vs. King's: The Bears lead the all-time series 2-0, taking the schools' lone meetings a year ago on April 21, 2013.

vs. John Jay: St. Joseph's holds a 10-3 edge in the series, winning the last eight meetings, including a pair of wins on March 16th.

The Bear Facts

Last Time Out: St. Joseph's fell short against the College of Staten Island at MCU Park on Wednesday afternoon as the Dolphins scored a run in the ninth to take a 6-5 victory and win the season series.

Freshman Anthony DeFillippo has appeared in seven games over the Bears last 12 contests and has made the most of his opportunity, batting a team-high .400 (8-for-20) with three runs scored and two RBI. Fellow freshman Francis Rapp's bat has also come to life, hitting .350 (7-for-20) over the last six games with six runs and five RBI.

Senior Joe Mendez continues to lead St. Joseph's in most offensive categories, pacing the team with five dingers and 30 RBI on the season. The outfielder is also hitting a team-high .349 on the year and leads the team with a .714 slugging percentage.

Another freshman Nicholas LoPrinzi has impressed in his rookie campaign for the Bears, compiling a .344 average and has driven in 10 RBI on the year. The third baseman has a team-high eight multi-hit games and has four multiple RBI games.

This week's USCAA Pitcher of the Week and AD3I Player of the Week Chris Cutrone (5-1, 3.09 ERA, 27 K) has been a stalwart on the mound this season and is approaching the 100-hit plateau for his career. Also providing ammunition to the St. Joseph's staff is sophomore Rosario DiLorenzo who comes in with a 4-1 mark and a 3.94 ERA in 29 2/3 innings.

The Lion's Roar

King's begins their first season in the HVIAC and will play two games on the season.

Inside the Doghouse

Last Time Out: John Jay dropped a 12-2 decision to CUNYAC foe Lehman College on Sunday, their first conference loss of the season.

The Bloodhounds come into today's doubleheader struggling to find wins as they have dropped 13 of their first 16 games. John Jay struggles with the bats, hitting a CUNYAC-low .219 on the season with a league-low .274 slugging percentage and .319 on base percentage. Pitching has also been a sore spot for the Bloodhounds, compiling a CUNYAC-worst 8.20 ERA.

Nestor Amarante leads John Jay offensively with a team-high .339 batting average and 11 RBI. Also driving in double digit runs is Nico Rivera who has 10 RBI on the season and is hitting .302 with seven runs scored. Esteban Soler is a threat on the basepaths for the Bloodhounds, stealing a CUNYAC-leading 15 bases in 17 attempts.

Anchoring the John Jay pitching rotation is Rivera who is 2-2 with a 5.18 ERA in a team-high 24 1/3 innings. Michael Wang sports a 5.48 ERA and 0-2 record on the hill with two complete games.

Team Comparison

Bears	Nickname	Lions	Bloodhounds
12-8	Record	0-0	3-14 (2-1)
HVIAC	Conference	HVIAC	CUNYAC
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Schedule	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Joe Mendez (.349)	Top Avg.		Nestor Amarante (.339)
Joe Mendez (30)	Top RBI		Nestor Amarante (11)
Chris Cutrone (27)	Top K		Nico Rivera (18)
.290	Bat. Avg.		.231
.372	Slugging		.291
.378	OBP		.326
123	Runs		65
169	Hits		108
102	RBI		52
25	SB		43
4.50	ERA		8.02
.268	Opp. Avg.	.	.337
91/83	K/BB		70/77
.980	Field %		.922