Dominant Pitching Prevails as Baseball Completes Doubleheader Sweep of SUNY-Canton

BELLEROSE, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team got great pitching performances as they swept the doubleheader of SUNY-Canton, 5-2 in game one and a 1-0 shutout in game two, Saturday morning at Padavan-Preller Field.

The Bears (5-8) got sparkling pitching outings from both Brian Luebcke (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) and Mitch Brigando (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep). Luebcke went the distance with a five-hit shutout in game two, striking out five batters with no walks. Brigando improved his unblemished record to 3-0 in game one, allowing two runs and fanning seven in a complete-game victory.

Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) each drove in two RBI and stole a base during the doubleheader. McKenna extended his hitting streak to 12 games after game one, but would have the streak in the second game two hits shy of the team record held by Robert Villante in 2008. Rapp laced three hits, all of them in game two.

Senior Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) scored two runs in game two. Both Vinny Rossi (Bayside, N.Y./Holy Cross) and Anthony DeFillippo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) knocked in a run apiece.

The Roos (4-11) got two hits each from Christian Nazario-Cruz and Jeremy Baez, while Brandon Welch driving in a run in a losing effort.

Canton jumped out of the game with their two runs in the first inning with a Welch RBI single and a run scored on a double steal. The Bears got back in the game with a run in the second on McKenna's RBI single and tied it on a Rossi's run-scoring single in the third.

After a Cutrone walk and Rossi reaching base on a throwing error in the fifth, DeFillippo laced a single through the right side to score Cutrone. Then Rapp singled down the right-field line to plate both Rossi and DeFillippo to cap off a three-run inning that proved to be the winning difference.

Game two proved to be an incredible pitcher's duel between both Luebcke and Derek Harkin. Harkin pitched a no-hitter in the loss in six innings of work, but walked seven batters.

The Bears would grab the only run of the game in the bottom of the second on four consecutive walks, with McKenna drawing the free pass with the bases loaded. 

The Roos had a great chance to score in the top of the fifth inning, loading the bases with just one out. Luebcke got Jesse Barton to line out to Cutrone at second, then doubled off Juan Rosa at first to escape the threat. The junior pitched one-two-three innings in both the sixth and the seventh to grab the win. 

The Bears will return to the diamond tomorrow for another showdown with SUNY-Canton in a single nine-inning game at Pradaver-Preller. First pitch is at 9:00 a.m.