Baseball Faces off in Twinbills with Valley Forge and Briarcliffe This Weekend, Celebrates Senior Day Saturday

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After taking the season series from Maritime Thursday, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team (12-14) will seek to build a winning streak to kick off the second half of April with a doubleheader matchup with the University of Valley Forge, then face USCAA opponent Briarcliffe on Sunday, both taking place at the SJC Outdoor Complex. First pitch for both doubleheaders is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

The team will celebrate its Senior Day festivities Saturday for six players; Thomas McKenna, Chris Cutrone, Vinny Rossi, Domenick Camerada, Thomas Decapua and Nicholas Calamia.

Game Information

Opponent: University of Valley Forge (3-16)

Date: Saturday, April 18th


Time: 12:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.


Field: SJC Outdoor Complex | Patchogue, N.Y.


Coverage: Live Stats (Game 1) | Live Stats (Game 2)

Opponent: Briarcliffe College (4-12)

Date: Sunday, April 19th


Time: 12:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.


Field: SJC Outdoor Complex | Patchogue, N.Y.

Team Links

St. Joseph's (Bklyn): Roster | Schedule | Statistics | NCAA Ranking Summary
University of Valley Forge: Roster | Schedule | Statistics 
Briarcliffe College: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Quick Hits

• St. Joseph's looks to get back on the winning side, losing three of their last four games.
• In their only ever two meetings against Valley Forge, the Bears earned a doubleheader sweep on April 17, 2014.
• Senior Thomas McKenna leads the Bears with a batting average to .390 (31-for-80) along with nine stolen bases, and 17 runs batted in. The batting average has him in the top-25 of the USCAA.
• Chris Cutrone was awarded the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Week as well as named to this week's D3Baseball.com Team of the Week after hitting .583 (14-for-24) with four runs scored and three runs batted in over six games.
• In the second USCAA Coaches Poll of the season, the Bears slipped one spot from No. 11 to No. 12.
• With a win, the Patriots are aiming to break a four-game losing streak and their first win since a doubleheader sweep of USCAA foe Maine-Presque Isle on April 2nd.
• Maritime is paced at the plate by Jared Boothman, who through 18 games is hitting a remarkable .418 (21-for-51) along with 13 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of an even .500.
• Briarcliffe is looking to snap a three-game losing streak of their own, and have lost seven of their last eight contests.
• The Bulldogs are 5-0 against St. Joseph's, including last winning in the USCAA Small College World Series opening round in 2013.

All-Time Series

Vs. Valley Forge: The Bears have a 2-0 record against Valley Forge, sweeping a doubleheader against them on April 17, 2014.

Vs. Briarcliffe: St. Joseph's is looking for their first-ever victory over Briarcliffe. The Bulldogs are 5-0 against the Bears dating back to 2008.

Last Meeting

Vs. Valley Forge: In their last meeting with Valley Forge, the Bears tallied 28 runs and 24 hits in a 16-6, 12-5 doubleheader sweep of Valley Forge Christian College on April 17, 2014 in Phoenixville, Pa. to extend their win streak to six games.

Thomas McKenna hit 6-for-10 over the twinbill to go with six RBI and four runs scored, along with two triples and six stolen bases. Joe Mendez moved into a tie for as the then Bears all-time hits leader, batting 4-for-8 with a triple, four runs scored and a RBI. Vinny Rossi also added two RBI in the win.

Vs Briarcliffe: The last matchup saw the Bears only muster just three hits on the game as they fell to Briarcliffe, 4-1, at historic Pullman Park in the opening game of the USCAA Small College World Series on May 1, 2013.

Freshman right-hander Rosario DiLorenzo (5-2) went the distance and took the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out three. The lone run driven in for the Bears was by sophomore Thomas McKenna, who also added a triple on the day.

The Bear Facts

Thomas McKenna tops the Bears on the offensive end as one of five players hitting over .300. The outfielder continues to increase his team-leading batting average to .390 (31-for-80) along with nine stolen bases, and 17 runs batted in. The senior is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak.

Senior Chris Cutrone lifted his batting average to .329 (27-of-82) over a 12-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday. This past week's AD3I Player of the Week and D3Baseball.com Team of the Week member and is tied with McKenna for the team lead with 18 runs scored and has nine RBI.

Shortstop Francis Rapp is hitting .306 and is tied for third with Domenick Camerada with 11 RBI. He is second on the team with 12 runs, including three runs scored in the 9-6 win over Maritime Wednesday night. Nicholas LoPrinzi is fifth on the team with a .318 batting average and is second with 13 runs batted in and nine runs scored.

On the mound, Mitch Brigando has compiled a 4-1 record, tossing four complete games. He has a 3.95 ERA and struck out 23 batters over 27.1 innings of work. Brian Luebcke has notched three wins with a 2.67 earned run average, striking out a team-best 25 batters over 27.0 innings.

In seven appearances in relief, senior Anthony Inserillo has allowed just three runs with 12 strikeouts over 11.0 innings of work a team-best 2.38 ERA. His 3.1 scoreless frames in the win over Maritime helped earn him the first save of his collegiate career.

Bear Witness to History

Two St. Joseph's pitchers each reached milestones during this past Sunday as they dropped both games of a doubleheader against Staten Island. Senior Chris Cutrone notched his 133rd career strikeout, becoming the all-time Bears leader in strikeouts in game two of the twinbill to pass Paul Piccirillo '13. In the first game of the day, junior Rosario DiLorenzo fanned three batters to achieve the milestone 100 career strikeouts and is now fourth all-time on the strikeouts list.

Bears Slide One Spot In Week 3 USCAA Coaches Poll

The Bears sit at No. 13 in the USCAA Coaches' Poll released yesterday. Illinois Tech continues to lead the poll followed by Tennessee Temple and Penn State Greater Allegheny.

St. Joseph's Last Time Out at Maritime

The Bears managed to withstand a late flurry in the sixth inning to secure a wild 9-6 win and a season series victory over Maritime College at Reinhart Baseball Field on Wednesday night.

On the mound, Connor Pasetti improved to 2-2 on the season after allowing two earned runs while striking out four batters in 5.1 innings. Senior Anthony Inserillo pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and fanned three to pick up the save with the tying run at the plate.

Third baseman Brian Luebcke drove in two runs, both on a two-run home run in the eighth inning, and added a run scored in the win for the Bears (12-14). Thomas McKenna added two RBI and extended his hitting streak to 10 games, while sophomore Francis Rapp tallied three runs scored.

Patriot Games

Jared Boothman leads the Patriots on the offensive end, who through 18 games has a batting average of .418 (21-for-51) along with a team-best 13 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of an even .500. Matthew Buckery is hitting .409 (25-for-62) with a team-high 19 runs scored and nine stolen bases out of ten attempts. Steven Profetto is second on the team with 11 RBI on the season.

Pitching-wise, Jeffrey Thrappas is the team leader in both innings pitched (26.0) and strikeouts (20) for Valley Forge. Buckery has also added a victory and a team-high three complete games, while Jonathan Manning ranks second on the team with 19 strikeouts.

Valley Forge Last Time Out at Penn State-Brandywine

The Patriots were outmatched on the offensive end after grabbing a first-inning run losing to USCAA No. 11 Penn State-Brandywine, 16-4, in their last matchup on Monday afternoon. Tyler Logan had two runs batted in for Valley Forge in a losing effort, while both Joshua Strohm and Chase Hornberger plated a run apiece. Jeffrey Thrappas also crossed the plate twice in the loss.

In the Doghouse

Leading Briarcliffe at the dish is Christopher Carrano, who has a .351 batting average (20-for-57) along with a team-high 10 runs batted in and nine stolen bases in 16 games played. Daniel Farina is tied with Carrano with nine runs scored to go with a .293 average. Freshman Zach Mastrangelo has tallied eight runs scored and four RBI, and is tied for the lead with three extra-base hits.

On the mound, Rudy Nunez has a team-best two wins, allowing 11 runs over 24.0 frames pitched with team-high 14 strikeouts.

Briarcliffe Last Time Out at Queens College

In their last time out, Briarcliffe could only put together three hits on the afternoon as they were shutout by Queens College, 6-0 on Wednesday in Flushing. Christopher Carrano, Gustavo Mejia and Nicholas Marzano each grabbed a hit apiece in the loss.

Up Next – Yeshiva at Taft H.S.

In their next matchup, St. Joseph's will have a rescheduled matchup with Yeshiva at Taft H.S. in the Bronx Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.