LoPrinzi's Three Hits Not Enough as Baseball Suffers First Loss in Skyline Championships to SJC Long Island

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Junior Nicholas LoPrinzi (Howard Beach, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) batted 3-for-4 on the day but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team suffered their first loss of the double-elimination Skyline Conference Baseball Championships as sibling rivals St. Joseph's College (Long Island) used a big middle three innings to take a 12-0 victory in the winners bracket final. The Bears will continue in the tournament facing Farmingdale State in an elimination game this afternoon trying to move into the finals for a rematch with the Golden Eagles.

The Basics

• Final Score: SJC Long Island 12, SJC Brooklyn 0
• Records: SJC Long Island (23-10), SJC Brooklyn (22-19)
• Date: May 8, 2016
• Location: Farmingdale, N.Y.
• Field: FSC Baseball Stadium
• SJC Starters: Pasetti (P), Rapp (SS), Luebcke (2B), Condon (1B), LoPrinzi (C), Schwartz (3B), McGreevy (LF), A. Camerada (RF), M. Camerada (CF)

How it Happened

• Both teams felt each other out with both hurlers holding the opposing hitters to a combined one hit over the first three innings.
• Long Island got the bats going in the fourth with three straight RBI base knocks from Nick Girardi, Joseph Calabrese and Bob Keating giving the Golden Eagles at 3-0 lead.
• The Golden Eagles continued their momentum in fifth with six more runs on six hits highlighted by a Joseph Lynn base-clearing triple and a Walsh home run.
• Long Island continued to remain in control and built a 12-0 advantage and the Bears threatened to spoil the shutout in the seventh after Nicholas LoPrinzi's third hit of the game, eventually loading the bases but came away empty-handed.
• The Bears spoiled the shutout in the ninth making the most of two walks and a Long Island error that allowed John Condon to score after a leadoff walk.

For the Bears

• Nicholas LoPrinzi (3-for-4) accounted for half of the Bears six hits on the game and with back-to-back three-hit games in the tournament
• Francis Rapp (1-for-4) and Brian Luebcke (1-for-4) and Brandon Salem (1-for-1) knocked the other hits.
• Connor Pasetti (4.1 IP, 8 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) took the loss and fell to 3-5.

For the Golden Eagles

• Bob Keating (3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2B) paced the No. 4 seed with three hits.
• Joseph Lynn (2-for-5, 3 RBI, 3B, R) and Daniel Campanelli (1-for-4, 3 RBI, 2B) both combined for half the run production.
• Ryan Aloise (6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 0 BB) earned the win improving to 7-2.

Inside the Box Score

• The Bears managed just three runners in scoring position on the game after two singles in the sixth and loading the bases in the seventh.

The Bear Facts

• Brian Luebcke extends his single-season records in hits (63), total bases (108) and at bats (162).
• The Golden Eagles take the third meeting this season between the two campuses and move to 3-2 in the all-time series. Long Island advances to the championship series on Tuesday evening.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will play for their Skyline Championship lives in an elimination game against No. 1 seeded Farmingdale State College this afternoon. The winner will advance to the championship final on Tuesday night. Live stats will be available at SJCBears.com