Bears Eye First .500 Finish After Sweep of Mount Saint Vincent

BROOKLYN, NY – Freshman Chris Cutrone (Levittown, NY/Island Trees, HS) struck out seven and tossed a complete game in the opener and knocked the game winning RBI in the finale to lead the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of the College of Mount Saint Vincent, 2-1 and 7-5, on Saturday afternoon at MCU Park.

The Bears snap a two-game skid and improve to 16-17, positioning themselves for a chance at the first .500 or better finish in program history, heading into the final two games of the season tomorrow against Yeshiva University.

St. Joseph's was held to only three hits in the opener but was opportunistic scratching out solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings after Mount Saint Vincent scored their lone run in the first on a Mark Sargente two out single.

The Dolphins (15-20) knocked six of their eight hits in the first three frames before Cutrone settled in and held them to just two hits the rest of the way en route to his second win of the season, leveling his record at 2-2 on the mound.

Anthony Mongelli tossed four hitless innings for Mount Saint Vincent before Kevin Diaz (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) knocked a double to left center in the fifth.  Cutrone followed him with a single down the left field line that equalized the game.

The Bears took the lead in their next at bat assembling a two-out rally aided by a Dolphin miscue that extended the frame.  Mike Cundari (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) made the Dolphins pay with a two-out single that scored Joseph Boccia (Westwood, NJ/Westwood) who led off the frame with a walk.  The game-winning RBI single would extend Cundari's hitting streak to a team-best 13 games before having it halted in the finale.

Mongelli would take the hard-luck loss for the Dolphins, going the distance allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with five strikeouts.

In the finale scoring came in bunches with Mount Saint Vincent jumping out to an early lead again with three runs in the first, Sargente starting off the scoring again with a two-RBI single with the bases loaded. 

St. Joseph's would immediately respond, plating four runs in the second, plating runs over four straight batters.  Jeff Bonowicz (Whitestone, NY/Holy Cross) started the carousel with a one-out single that scored Vinny Rossi (Bayside, NY/Holy Cross) who set the table with a leadoff single.  Boccia and Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) followed with a RBI single and double, respectively, and Steven Ellis (Broad Channel, NY/St. Francis Prep) put the Bears up 4-3 with a grounder.

A Benjamin Toro double in the bottom of the third knotted the game at 4-4, but St. Joseph's would jump ahead for good with three runs in the fifth.  After Joe Mendez (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) singled with one out and Cundari followed with a walk, Rossi brought Mendez home with a single.  Diaz would load up the bases with a single and Cutrone delivered the eventual game winner with a two-run single to right field.

The Dolphins threatened in the sixth, knocking a double and a single off starter Donny Pagano (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) to put runners at the corners with one-out, prompting a call to the bullpen.  Freshman Thomas Decapua (Brooklyn, NY/St. Edmund Prep) entered in relief forcing a groundout that scored the Dolphins final run and worked out of the inning with a flyout.  Decapua then worked a perfect inning in the seventh to preserve the win for Pagano (4-6) and earning his first career save, retiring all five batters he faced. Pagano allowed five runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and four walks over five and a third innings in the victory.

Cutrone led the Bears at the plate with a 3-for-5 afternoon with three RBI and a run scored.  Diaz, Rossi and Mendez each knocked two hits over the twin bill, Rossi and Boccia also scoring twice. 

St. Joseph's concludes their 2012 campaign returning to MCU Park tomorrow to host Yeshiva University for a double dip starting at noon.  The team will also celebrate Senior Day, honoring Joseph Boccia and Danny Contant in a ceremony between games one and two.