Baseball Tripped Up by Preseason Favorite Old Westbury

BELLEROSE, N.Y. — In a battle of the top two offenses in the Skyline Conference, junior Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and senior Brian Luebcke (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) led the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team with three hits apiece but the Bears couldn't upend defending champion SUNY College at Old Westbury, swept on a cold and rainy morning at Padavan-Preller Field

The Basics

• Final Score (Game 1): Old Westbury 6, St. Joseph's 3
• Final Score (Game 2): Old Westbury 8, St. Joseph's 1  (5 innings, rain)
• Records: Old Westbury (17-9, 6-0 Skyline), St. Joseph's (10-13, 1-3 Skyline)
• Date: April 9, 2016
• Location: Bellerose, N.Y.
• Field: Padavan-Preller Field
• SJC Starters (Game 1): Pasetti (LF), Rapp (3B), Luebcke (P), Condon (1B), LoPrinzi (C), Schwartz (SS), Brigando (2B), A. Camerada (LF), M. Camerada (CF)
• SJC Starters (Game 2): Pasetti (LF), Rapp (SS), Luebcke (3B), LoPrinzi (C), Schwartz (DH), Pallatto (1B), A. Camerada (RF), Brigando (2B), M. Camerada (CF), DiLorenzo (P)

How it Happened in Game 1

• Nicholas LoPrinzi recorded the first hit for the Bears in the bottom of the second, connecting for a double to center. Mitch Brigando's infield single put men on first and third, setting up Anthony Camerada's RBI single for an early 1-0 lead.
• Old Westbury was quick to strike back, rallying for two in the third for their first lead. Tommy Ziegen's run scoring single was the only hit of the inning, and he eventually scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error.
• Brian Luebcke laced a one-out double in the bottom of the third inning to set up St. Joseph's offense. Luebcke advanced one base on a fielder's choice and Nicholas LoPrinzi's two-out single brought him home to even the action at 2-all.
• Paul Rapoli cleared the fence to start the top of the fifth before the Bears countered with a three-hit, one-run bottom half to draw even once again. But the Panthers came alive for three runs in the sixth, once again off the bat of Rapoli who capped the rally with a two-run double.
• Reliever Nick Dorcean held St. Joseph's to three hits and zero runs in the final four innings. Francis Rapp and Brian Luebcke connected for back-to-back one-out singles in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Dorcean fanned the following two batters to complete the four-inning save.

How it Happened in Game 2

• Old Westbury jumped on the Bears early in game two with a pair of runs in the first. Michael Cardino capped the rally with an RBI single.
• The Bears offense was held to just one hit in the first two innings, before the Panthers tacked on two more in the bottom of the second.
• Jesse Russo slugged a run scoring double in the fourth inning before a pair of Bear defensive miscues allowed one more across, making it 6-0 Panthers.
• Thomas Pallatto opened the bottom of the fourth with a triple, only the third hit of the, and scored on Anthony Camerada's sacrifice fly, breaking the shutout.
• Old Westbury posted another pair in the fifth but with a steady rain falling from the bottom of the second, the game was finally called five batters into the sixth and the game officially ends as a five-inning affair.

For the Bears

• Nicholas LoPrinzi (3-for-7, RBI, R, 2B) and Brian Luebcke (3-for-7, R, 2B) led St. Joseph's with three hits apiece on the afternoon. LoPrinzi recorded all three in the opener, tying a game-high.
• Anthony Camerada (1-for-5, 2 RBI) was the top run producer for the Bears with a pair of RBI.
• Mitch Brigando (2-for-6) slugged two hits in the opener and Thomas Pallatto (1-for-2, R, 3B) recorded the Bears only triple.
• Starter Brian Luebcke (8 IP, 4 K, 4 ER, 6 H) suffered his first loss of the season falling to 3-1 in game one, while Rosario DiLorenzo (5 IP, 2 K, 7 ER, 10 H) went the distance in game two but fell to 3-4 on the year..

For the Panthers

• Jesse Russo (4-for-9, RBI, 2 R, 2 2B) led the visitors with four hits in nine at bats.
• Paul Rapoli (3-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2B) led the Panthers in game one, finishing with three hits, one home run and a game-best three RBI.
• Dean Sheridan (2-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Michael Cardino (1-for-6, 2 RBI, R) contributed two RBI apiece.
• Started Jeremy Charles (5 IP, 4 K, 2 ER, 9 H) tossed five strong innings to earn the victory in game one, setting up Nick Dorcean's (4 IP, 5 K, 0 ER, 3 H) four inning save.
• The league leader in wins, Daniel Aguilo (5 IP, 6 K, ER, 3 H) padded his lead in the capper, surrendering just one run in five innings of work.

Inside the Box Score

• The Bears outhit the Panthers 12-8 in game one, but tied a season-high with four defensive miscues that led to a pair of unearned runs.
• Old Westbury held a 10-3 hit advantage in game two and scored in pairs in every inning except the second.
• With a pair of hits in game one, Luebcke registered his 12th multi-hit game of the season and hitting successfully in both ends he now has hit in 20-of-23 games.

The Bear Facts

• Unable to snap their skid, the six-game losing streak is the longest since the 2013 season.
• Old Westbury maintains control of the all-time series, improving to 8-1 against St. Joseph's in the first official Skyline meeting between the squads.
• Both squads were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the league in batting average entering the game, with the Bears holding .001 lead over the Panthers for first at .316
• One of the top defensive squads in the county ranked ninth in fielding percentage, the Bears faltered committing six miscues on the day.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears continue Skyline Conference action tomorrow, April 10, travelling to meet Yeshiva University in Palisades Park, N.J. The doubleheader kicks off at 10 a.m. with live stats available on SJCBears.com.