McKenna Sets Career Runs Record But Baseball's Rallies Fall Short in Sweep by CCNY

YAPHANK, N.Y.—The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team couldn't produce any last inning heroics as they dropped both ends of a doubleheader to City College of New York, 3-2 and 5-3, on Sunday afternoon at Baseball Heaven.

Needing two runs in their final at bat, the Bears (2-7) managed to put the tying run into scoring position in both games, but their rallies in the bottom of the seventh would fall short allowing the Beavers (3-1) to collect their first wins in the all-time series since 2011, ending seven in a row for St. Joseph's.

Sophomore Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) led the Bears with three hits over the twinbill, driving in one run and walking twice. Senior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) successfully hit in both games, extending his hitting streak to nine, and scored twice to become the new Bears all-time runs scored leader with 125 runs, surpassing Michael Cundari '14.

Senior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) also knocked a pair of hits and scored twice while Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and Brian Luebcke (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) also rapped two hits, Camerada also driving in a run.

In the opener, CCNY plated a solo run in the first on a Pedro Tavares single up the middle and tacked on another run in the fifth on a Gabriel Pena single, both coming with two outs. Beaver starter Jose Aquino kept the Bears guessing all day holding them to just two hits through 6 2/3 innings.

Trailing 3-0 in the sixth, St. Joseph's managed to manufacture a run without a hit loading the bases with three walks and Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) pushing one across with a grounder. The Bears loaded the bases again in the seventh after McKenna started a two-out rally with a ground rule double that trimmed the deficit to one, but coming in relief for Aquino, Jhosse Estrella induced Thomas Pallatto (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) to fly out to center with McKenna standing on third to escape the threat and earn the save.

Cutrone would go the distance for the Bears on the mound taking the loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits, striking out six.

The Bears bats woke up in game two belting 10 hits in the game and St. Joseph's scored first plating an unearned run in the first on a LoPrinzi single, but stranded the bases loaded.

CCNY jumped ahead with a three-run third on back-to-back RBI singles from Tavares and Adrian Pena, but the Bears managed to turn an inning-ending double play escaping further damage from a bases loaded jam. St. Joseph's responded immediately in the home half of the inning scoring two on Camerada and Rossi RBI singles to tie the game, but the CCNY defense held strong throwing out Camerada at the plate as the go ahead run to end the inning.

The Beavers tacked on solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings to move ahead 5-3 while CCNY starter Sacha Urbach settled in and tossed three near perfect innings to preserve the lead into the final frame.

In their final at bat, the Bears touched up Urbach to load the bases but would come up empty handed again, Cutrone and LoPrinzi both knocking singles and Camerada drawing a two-out walk, but Urbach preserved his complete game win forcing Vinny Rossi (Bayside, N.Y./Holy Cross) to ground out stranding the tying run on second.

Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) suffered the loss on the mound striking out five over seven innings pitched, allowing five runs on 11 hits.

The Bears will return to the diamond on Wednesday, March 25 for a single game against future Skyline Conference foes Yeshiva University starting at 8 p.m. under the lights at Taft High School in the Bronx.