Baseball Walks Off With Weekend Sweep of SUNY Canton

BELLEROSE, N.Y.—The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off with a 5-4 victory over SUNY Canton on Sunday morning at Padavan-Preller Field, highlighting a three-game sweep of United States Collegiate Athletic Association foe Roos.

The Bears (6-8) trailed by one, 4-3, entering their final at bat but touched up Roos (4-12) reliever Keenan Shannon who took the hill in the ninth for the save. Anthony DeFillippo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) drew a leadoff walk to set the table and was sacrificed to second by Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside).

Bobby Perretti (Howard Beach, N.Y./St Francis Prep) singled to left center and took second with heads up base-running on the throw to third to get DeFillippo. Shannon then balked in the game-tying run, also moving Perretti to third representing the game-winning run.

After Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) drew a walk to put runners on the corners, Mitch Brigando (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) finished off the comeback with a grounder to third, Perretti sliding under the tag of the catcher at home for the second walkoff win against the Roos in two seasons.

McKenna led the Bears at the dish with a 3-for-4 day and a RBI and now needs just three hits to become the all-time Bears hits leader. Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) knocked a pair of hits and DeFillippo scored a pair of runs and drew two walks.

Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) tossed seven strong innings in a no decision, scattering seven hits, striking out six and allowing three runs (two earned). Thomas Decapua (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) picked up the win in relief to improve to 1-1, surrendering no hits, striking out two and walking one.

Canton took an early lead plating two runs in the first before the Bears responded with three in the third, aided by back-to-back Roos miscues to open the frame. McKenna and Domenick Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) later punished the visitors with run-scoring singles, as all three runs came in unearned.

But Canton scored an unearned run in the fourth and took the lead in the eighth on a Greg Dobies single setting up the dramatic finish.

Now winners of four of their last five, the Bears will return to action on Thursday kicking off a busy stretch with five games in three days, facing Baruch at MCU Park in a single game starting at 4 p.m.