Bats Come Alive Late as Baseball Opens Weekend Set With 6-2 Win Over NYU

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Powered by five-run spurt over the final three innings, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team took a 6-2 victory over New York University on Friday afternoon to open a three-game series at MCU Park.

The Bears (10-11) move back within a game of the .500 mark in the first varsity meeting with the Violets (7-16) who are in their first varsity season after a 41-year hiatus.

Senior Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) launched his first home run of the season, and seventh of his career, sending a 1-1 pitch off the scoreboard in left field to lead off the game.

But that would be all the scoring for the Bears as the Violets' starter Jacob Bader settled in and held the Bears to just three more hits and no additional runs through six.

NYU knotted the game in the home half of the first on a Jonathan Iaione sacrifice fly and took the lead in the second on an Adrian Spitz single to right. The Violets threatened for more in the second, but Bears starter Connor Pasetti (Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) worked out of a bases loaded jam getting Iaione to popup to the infield to end the inning.

But Pasetti would also settle in after the two early runs and allowed just one more hit over the next three frames in a no decision, finishing with two runs, six hits allowed and two walks over five innings of work.

The Bears finally broke through in the seventh pushing across three runs, all coming with two outs. Michael Camerada (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) set the table with a leadoff single, advancing to second on a Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) sacrifice.

Matthew Wells took the mound in relief for the Violets with two outs and McKenna greeted him with a leadoff walk. Brian Luebcke (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) then knocked an infield single up the middle and the speedy Camerada moving on the pitch managed to score from second on the play to first to knot the game at 2-2. Chris Cutrone (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) then delivered McKenna and Luebcke with the game-winning double to the left field corner.

The Bears tacked on solo runs in the eighth and ninth innings to push the lead to four and the Bears bullpen held strong as James Moran (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xavier), Anthony Inserillo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep), Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and Cutrone each tossed scoreless innings to preserve the victory. Moran would pick up his first collegiate win, surrendering just one hit in the scoreless sixth, while Inserillo hurled a perfect seventh and junior DiLorenzo gave up just one hit in his first career appearance out of the bullpen.

St. Joseph's finished with 11 base knocks on the afternoon, five going for extra bases, and the Bears driving in four of their six runs with two outs. Luebcke led the Bears at the dish going 3-for-5 with a double. McKenna, Cutrone and Camerada would finish with two hits each, Cutrone extending his hitting streak to a team-leading eight games and Luebcke and McKenna now working on five-game streaks.

The Bears and Violets will conclude a three-game set at MCU Park with a doubleheader tomorrow starting at noon. Live stats and video can be found at SJCBears.com