Baseball Opens 2016 Campaign in Florida at Warner

LAKE WALES, Fla. — The St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) baseball team opened their 2016 campaign with a pair of losses at the hands of Warner University in Lake Wales, Florida on Tuesday afternoon. The Bears flirted with a comeback in game one, ultimately falling 4-3 with the tying run on third, and led briefly in game two, but mustered just four hits in a 6-3 game-two loss.

The Basics

• Final Score (Game 1): Warner 4, St. Joseph's 3
• Final Score (Game 2): Warner 6, St. Joseph's 3
• Records: Warner (7-3), St. Joseph's (0-2)
• Date: February 16, 2016
• Location: Lake Wales, Fla.
• Field: Royals Field

How it Happened in Game 1

• Jesse Alker opened scoring in the second with a two-run double. Warner tacked on one more in the inning to claim an early 3-0 advantage.
• The Bears got one back in the top of the third inning following Brian Luebcke's run-scoring double.
• Trailing 4-2 in the final frame, St. Joseph's mounted a rally and flirted with a comeback. With one out, consecutive singles from Jonathan Arroyo and Patrick McGreevy put the tying runs on base. Following a fielder's choice, Arroyo scored on a wild pitch to bring the Bears closer. But opposing pitcher Trey Norris buckled down for the clinching strikeout to halt the rally and seal the win, leaving the tying run stranded at third.

How it Happened - Game 2

• St. Joseph's drew first blood in the top of the second inning thanks to an RBI-single off the bat of Anthony DeFillippo.
• The Bears leading 3-2 in the fourth, Broderick Rodocker laced a two-run, to put the Royals back on top. Warner tacked on one in the fifth and one more in the sixth for a 6-3 lead.
• Thomas Pallotto worked a leadoff walk in the seventh, but the next three Bears were retired in order and Warner claimed the doubleheader sweep.

For the Bears

• Thomas Pallotto led St. Joseph's on offense, finishing 4-for-7 with one RBI in the doubleheader.
• Brian Luebcke hit safely three times in five at-bats and recorded a team-high two RBIs.
• Connor Pasetti started the opener and struck out four in three innings of work but ultimately suffered the loss. Anthony Amatuzzi took the ball in game two, earning a no-decision after holding Warner to a pair of runs in three innings.

For the Royals

• Jose Fortuna collected a team-high three base-knocks in the doubleheader. Broderick Rodocker finished just 1-for-5 on the day but made it count by delivering the go-ahead homerun in game two.
• Starter Jose Hernandez tamed the Bears in the opener, surrendering just one earned run in six innings to collect the victory. Kevin Wolf picked up the win in game two, spinning four strong innings in relief.

Inside the Box Score

• St. Joseph's never led in game one, but outhit Warner 9-7 in a tight pitcher's duel. Just one of those was an extra-base-hit; a double off the bat of Brian Luebcke.
• The Bears were held to just four hits in game two as pitchers Dalton Kelley and Kevin Wolf combined for the seven-strikeout victory.

The Bear Facts

• Kicking off their season in Florida for the third consecutive season, St. Joseph's falls to 0-2 in the young campaign with three games remaining in their trip.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears continue their Florida road trip tomorrow, February 17, at 9 a.m., beginning three meetings on consecutive days against Brandeis for the RussMatt Central Floriday\ Invitational. Live stats will be available on SJCBears.com.