Watters Improves to 3-0 Tossing Complete Game as Baseball Beats Thomas Twice

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — On day one of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team (8-1-1) defeated Thomas College (Maine) (0-2) in both games of a doubleheader on Saturday. The Bears extended their win streak to seven games with the sweep and have now surpassed last year's win total just 10 games into the season.

Junior pitcher Andrew Watters (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) shined in the first outing as he tossed a complete game victory going seven strong innings with seven strikeouts allowing just two runs to remain undefeated on the season (3-0).

How It Happened (Game One): St. Joseph's 6, Thomas 2
SJC Starters: Schwartz (SS), Trudden (2B), Palermo (3B), Ryan (C), Gonzalez (DH), Reyes (LF), DeLuca (1B), Langan (RF), Zinser (CF); Watters (P)

Adam Schwartz (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan E. Wagner) singled and Matthew Trudden (Broad Channel, N.Y./Christ the King) walked to open the game and a double steal had them at second and third with no outs. Back-to-back sac flies from Anthony Palermo (Patchogue, N.Y./Sachem North) and Michael Ryan (Franklin Square, N.Y./Holy Trinity) plated both runners and gave the Bears an early 2-0 lead.

Nicholas Cousins drove an RBI base hit to center in the bottom of the first cutting SJC's lead in half and both teams went on to plate a single score in the second as the Bears held a one-run edge after two (3-2).

The third inning began once again with a Schwartz single and he advanced to second on a balk followed by Palermo stepping to the plate with one out and roping his own single to left scoring Schwartz and doubling his team's lead. Another base-hit and Thomas throwing error gave SJC another run in the frame for a 5-2 advantage after the first three innings.

Watters shut down the Terriers for the remainder of the game and St. Joseph's tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring infield single from Trudden to seal the win.

How It Happened (Game Two): St. Joseph's 11, Thomas 4
SJC Starters: Schwartz (SS), Trudden (2B), Palermo (DH), Ryan (C), Reyes (LF), DeLuca (1B), Langan (RF), Caputo (3B), Zinser (CF); McLaughlin (P)

Thomas went down one-two-three in the top of the first and the Bears got on the board in the bottom as Schwartz singled to lead things off and later scored on an infield hit from Kevin Reyes (Bronx. N.Y./AECI).

The Terriers tied it up at one in the second and that lasted until the bottom of the fourth in which SJC unloaded for seven runs. Schwartz, Trudden, Palermo, and Reyes each had an RBI in the frame while TC walked and hit a batter with the bases loaded adding to the damage.

A Terrier miscue gave the Bears another tally in the fifth, but they plated a pair in the sixth after two of doubles early in the inning. However, Joseph Langan (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) doubled to lead off the sixth and Dominick Caputo (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) drove him in with a single while Trudden slapped an RBI double of his own in the frame to conclude the contest.

For the Bears

• Schwartz went 5-for-7 on the day scoring six runs with three steals, a triple, and an RBI.
• McLaughlin earned the pitching win in game two (1-0) going five innings and giving up seven hits and three runs with a strikeout.
• Reyes drove in a pair in both outings and Langan went 2-for-2 with two runs and an RBI in the second game.
• Rookie Louis Lombardi (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) finished game two on the mound pitching two frames allowing three hits, one run (unearned), and two walks while striking out two.

Next Up for the Bears
Day two of the invitational playing SUNY New Paltz twice on Tuesday (Mar. 19) beginning at 10:30 a.m.