Baseball Wins 12th Straight in Slugfest Over Yeshiva

PALISADES PARK, N.J. – Pounding out 34 runs and 30 hits over a doubleheader sweep of Yeshiva University, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team won their 12th straight game with 8-1 and 26-0 triumphs on Friday morning at Overpeck Park.

The Bears (23-8) improve upon their program record winning streak and most wins in a season capturing their eighth-straight victory versus the Maccabees (0-23) in the all-time series.

In the opener, the junior Anthony Inserillo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) registered his first career victory on the mound in his first career start tossing four innings of two-hit ball, allowing one run. Freshman Connor Pasetti (Oceanside, N.Y./ Oceanside) closed out the game striking out seven over three scoreless innings, to record his second save of the season, becoming the Bears all-time leader.

St. Joseph's held on to a 2-1 lead through four, but Pasetti entered with a 5-1 cushion after the Bears pushed across four unearned runs in the fifth with back-to-back Maccabees miscues to start off the inning opening the door for the heart of the lineup to do the damage, Anthony DeFillippo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) and Mike Cundari (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) with back-to-back RBI hits and Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) highlighting the frame with a triple that extended his reached base safely streak to a new program-best 28 games.

Cundari led the Bears at the plate in the opener with a 2-for-4 effort and three RBI while Cutrone finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.

The Bears jumped all over five Maccabees pitchers in game two belting out 23 hits for 26 runs, falling one shy of the team record for most runs in a game. St. Joseph's matched the single-game record with 25 runs batted in, powered by seven triples, which more than doubled the previous record. The Bears also eclipsed the previous record with 39 total bases.

All but one starting position player recorded an RBI as the Bears posted three-or more runs in every frame except the third.

Cutrone became the second Bear to ever knock a multiple triples in the game, and finished 3-for-4 with seven RBI and a run scored. Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) finished a home run short of the cycle and set a record with five runs scored, batting 4-for-6 from the dish with a stolen base and two walks.

With a pair of runs, Cundari surpassed Kevin Diaz as the Bears all-time runs leader with 117 career runs scored.

Vinny Rossi (Bayside, N.Y./Holy Cross) and Joe Mendez (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) contributed to the slugfest with three RBI and three runs scored each, while Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) knocked four hits and scored four runs, both career highs.

Sophomore Sean O'Melia (Woodside, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) hurled his first career complete game shutout, holding the Maccabees to just three hits, one shy of the fewest hits allowed in a seven-inning affair. O'Melia struck out five and walked none as he improved to 2-1 on the mound.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Leaders: Chris Cutrone (4-for-7, 9 RBI, R, 3 3B), Francis Rapp (4-for-8, 5 R, 2 RBI, 3B), Thomas McKenna (4-for-10, 5 R, 2B, 3B), Joe Mendez (3-for-7, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2B, 3B), Nicholas LoPrinzi (3-for-8, RBI, R), Anthony DeFillippo (2-for-5, 6 R, 3 RBI, 4 SB, 3 BB), Vinny Rossi (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 3 R, 3B) Mike Cundari (3-for-7, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2B)
• St. Joseph's batted 9-for-17 with two outs in game two, scoring 10 of their 26 runs.

THE BEAR FACTS

• The 23 hits in game two was second most, falling four short of the record of 27 against Drew in 2012.
• St. Joseph's matched the 25 RBI record set versus Lincoln (Pa.) in 2009 when they scored a single-game record 27 runs and 48 runs over the doubleheader.
• Cutrone's reached base safely streak now stands at a record 29 games.
• LoPrinzi extended his hitting streak to a team-season-long 10 games.
• The team also set a single-game record with five sacrifice flies in game two.
• Domenick Camerada gunned down three runners stealing for the fourth time in his career in game two, one shy of his game record and currently has 19 runners caught stealing this season.
• O'Melia's complete game shutout was the 11th in team history.
• Pasetti's save was only the sixth in team history.
• Cundari is now two RBI shy of becoming the 2nd Bear to reach the century RBI club.
• Rossi is now three hits shy of becoming the 2nd Bear to reach the 100-hit club this season.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARS

The Bears return home to MCU Park and will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday, April 27 hosting Lehman College in a doubleheader starting at noon. (The twinbill was originally scheduled to be played against Mount Saint Vincent.) 

The team will honor seniors Joe Mendez, Mike Cundari, Donny Pagano, Chris Vargas, Chris Pacifico and Simon Diaz in a ceremony prior to the game at 11:45 a.m.