Bears Baseball Eliminated from Small College World Series by Penn State Greater Allegheny

BUTLER, PA – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team was eliminated from the 2013 United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series dropping a 6-1 decision to Penn State Greater Allegheny on Tuesday afternoon at historic Pullman Park.

The Bears (20-15) conclude their first post season appearance held to just two hits by No. 5 seed Penn State Greater Allegheny (30-16) who moves on to face No. 9 Briarcliffe this evening in an elimination matchup.

The Lions got on the board first in the bottom of the 1st on a two-out RBI single from Oliver Girma. The Bears responded in the next half inning when Joe Mendez (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt, moved to third on a Vinny Rossi (Bayside, NY/Holy Cross) grounder and scored on a wild pitch.

Penn State took the lead back in the bottom half of the inning loading the bases and pushing across a solo run, but a diving stab at first by USCAA All-Academic Mike Cundari (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) flipping to starter Chris Cutrone (Levittown, NY/Island Trees) kept the deficit at one.

The Lions broke through for four runs in the fifth, reaching Cutrone (4-7) for three hits and knocking him out of the game. The five-run deficit was too much for the Bears to overcome as they couldn't get the bats going against USCAA Second-Team All-American Evan James (7-2) who struck out eight in the two-hitter.

Rossi and Brian Luebcke (Astoria, NY/Monsignor McClancy) knocked the lone hits for St. Joseph's.

Turning Point

In the fifth inning with the Bears trailing only 2-1, Cutrone surrendered a leadoff walk and was sacrificed over to second. With first base empty, head coach Scott Losche chose to intentionally walk the four hitter, and Sam Weightman made the Bears pay with a double to the right field corner that scored two and kept the momentum heavily in the Lions favor and two more hits brought in two more runs before the inning ended.

Inside the Box Score

• Rossi was the lone Bear to collect a hit in both games.
• Cutrone took the loss for the Bears, working 4.2 innings allowing six runs on six hits, striking out one and walking one.
• Sean O'Melia (Woodside, NY/Monsignor McClancy) came in relief in the fifth and retired all four batters he faced.
• After Mendez scored in the second the Bears managed just one runner to second (Diaz in the sixth).

News and Notes

• Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) saw his reached base safely streak end at 26 games, two shy of the all-time record.

Up Next for the Bears – Senior Day

The Bears will conclude their 2013 season with a Senior Day game with date and opponent to be announced later.