Leary Hits for Cycle, Santoriello and Lombardi Fan 10-plus in Baseball’s Skyline-Opening Wins Over Yeshiva

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) baseball team opened their Skyline Conference slate with a pair of wins over Yeshiva University on Sunday afternoon from the campus of Kingsborough Community College.

Headlined by eight RBI and six runs scored, senior Chris Leary (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) became the first Bear to hit for the cycle. Michael Gardener (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) brought in seven runs in as many at bats while Mike Santoriello (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) struck out 11 batters to match the single-game program record in the Bears' 31-2 victory.

Graduate student Louis Lombardi (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) followed up Santoriello's pitching performance with 10 K's of his own, and allowed just one hit, in five innings of work en route to a 16-0 win. At the plate, Lombardi went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI while Gardener went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

How it Happened (Game 1):

Leary led off the first inning with a triple that found the right-centerfield gap and scored the game's opening run later in the frame. Sean Schneeberg (Columbia, Tenn./Del Oro) brought in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded double that gave the navy and gray a 3-0 lead. Leading 5-0, Leary doubled in his second at-bat of the stanza to bring the Bears' lead to 8-0 while needing just a single and home run for the cycle.

The Bears reached double figures in the second inning before the Maccabees tacked on a run in their half of the third inning, 10-1. Gardener batted in three runs while Leary and Lombardi brought in a pair of runs as the SJBK offense exploded for 12 runs in the home half of the third on 10 hits, ballooning the lead to 22-1. After five innings were completed, the Bears held a 27-2 advantage.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Leary once again found a gap in the outfield, clearing the bases and scoring himself, finalizing the 31-2 result and – with a single in the third inning – securing the first cycle in program history.

How it Happened (Game 2):

Five runs scored for the Bears in the bottom of the first, highlighted by TJ Moussette's (Centereach, N.Y./Newfield) triple. The junior hit another triple in his next plate appearances in the third, clearing the bases and extending the lead to 8-0. Gardener also cleared the bags with a single later in the inning to give the Bears an 11-0 advantage.

Leary hit his second inside the park home run of the day in the fifth inning, this time plating three runs. Lombardi's triple to center brought home Doug Paider (Glendale, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) to conclude the scoring for the navy and gray at 15-0.

For the Bears (Game 1):

• SJBK's 31 runs and 28 runs batted in set a new single-game program record, surpassing the 28 runs and 16 RBI recorded against the Maccabees in last season's meeting.

• Leary came an RBI short of matching the single-game RBI record which has stood for 13 seasons. His triple and inside the park home run were both the first of his career.

• Gardener went 4-for-7 with seven RBI and a pair of runs scored. His total plate appearances matches the program-high which was set six times prior.

• Schneeberg plated five runs and scored three as he went 3-for-5.

• Miguel Toribio (Brooklyn, N.Y./Williamsburg Prep) and Justin Biordi (Howard Beach, N.Y./Scholars' Academy) also had three-hit games.

• Lombardi finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.

• Santoriello became the fifth Bear, and first since 2016, to strike out 11 batters.

For the Bears (Game 2):

• Six Bears had multi-hit games: Leary, Gardener, Lombardi, Schneeberg, Moussette, and Alex Goldberg (Centereach, N.Y./Centereach).

• Gardener had four RBI while Leary had three as both finished with 11 on the day.

• Moussette's triple brought home three runs while Goldberg sent a pair of runners home.

• Leary and Lucas Collet (Toulouse, France/Lyc'ee Bellevue) each scored thrice.

Up Next

The Bears hit Newport News, Virginia for a three-game weekend series against Christopher Newport University of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 12 p.m. with stats available on sjbkathletics.com/live.