Baseball Walks Off With Comeback Win in Extras in Split With SUNY Poly

BROOKLYN, N.Y. —  Down to their final out, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team forced extra innings and Anthony Palermo (Patchogue, N.Y./Sachem North) delivered the game-winning hit in the eighth to cap off a 4-3, come-from-behind victory over SUNY Polytechnic Institute for their second straight win. The Wildcats avenged the loss and split the non-conference doubleheader using a big first inning to take a 7-0 victory in the nightcap that called due to darkness.

Adam Schwartz (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan E. Wagner) and Justus Acosta (Little Neck, N.Y./Holy Cross) both knocked three hits in the series-opening win.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 4, SUNY Poly 3 (8 inn.); SUNY Poly 7, St. Joseph's 0 (6 inn)
• Records: St. Joseph's (2-16), SUNY Poly (6-7)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. — Shore Road Park

Game 1: St. Joseph's 4, SUNY Poly 3 (8 inn)

• After stranding the bases loaded in the second, the Bears drew first blood in the third after Adam Schwartz (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan E. Wagner) led off for a single, advanced to second on a grounder, stole third and scored on an Anthony Palermo (Patchogue, N.Y./Sachem North) grounder.
• Getting the start on the mound Vincent Juliano (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) worked a near perfect three innings allowing just one baserunner via a walk, before the Wildcats led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. Juliano induced a grounder and threw out a runner at home before finding himself in a bases-loaded jam and Dean Natalizio knocked a two-out single that gave Poly a 2-1 lead.
• The fifth saw both teams score solo runs, Nate Palmer's single giving the visitors a 3-1 cushion before Justus Acosta's (Little Neck, N.Y./Holy Cross) two-out single scored Palermo who walked earlier in the frame.
• Matthew Rienzi (Maspeth, N.Y. / Xavier) took the hill in relief in the seventh and worked out of runners at the corners inducing an inning-ending double-play to keep the deficit at 3-2. Michael Gonzalez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) led off the home half of the inning with a walk and stole, second, but a strikeout and fly out saw the Bears down to their final out before Kyle McLaughlin (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) hit a flare to right with the win posing trouble for the retreating second baseman, but fell and allowed Gonzalez to score.
• The first extra frame saw a pair of walks and a hit batter load the bases for SUNY Poly and Michael Bode (Ozone Park, N.Y./Cathedral Prep) came out of the bullpen and got the Bears out of the jam with a flyout. J.J. McLaughlin (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka) set the table for the walkoff in the bottom half, leading off with a double—the only extra base hit of the game for either squad—and Schwartz followed bunting for a single to put runners at the corners. The Wildcats intentionally walked the bases to set up the force play, but Palermo delivered the game-winner lacing a ball past the third baseman playing in to score McLaughlin.

Highlight of the Walk-Off

BSB (Highlight) | Palermo drives in the game-winner as @sjcbearsbasebl walks off with 4-3 come-from-behind win in extras over SUNY Poly. #BearWitnessSJC #SJCNY #d3b #d3baseball pic.twitter.com/xYhmZiad1T

— St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Bears (@SJCBears) March 31, 2018

Game 2: SUNY Poly 7, St. Joseph's 0 (6 innings, darkness)

• Starting at nearly 6 p.m. with a threat of reaching regulation imminent, the Wildcats quickly rebounded from the game one defeat pouncing for five runs and five hits in the first to take control from the outset. The visitors scored a pair of runs on back-to-back, bases-loaded suicide bunt singles, another run on a hit batter and a two-run double by John Andrews.
• John Noone held the Bears bats silent in the nightcap, allowing just two hits and no walks over five innings. Matthew Trudden (Broad Channel, N.Y/Christ The King) and Palermo led off the third and fourth innings with singles, but the SJC couldn't string together any offense.
• With the Wildcats batting in the sixth and one out, the game was called due to darkness.

For the Bears

• Anthony Palermo had the game-winning RBI for the second-straight game and was the only Bear to hit successfully in both ends of the twin bill, accumulating two hits, two RBI and a run scored.
• Adam Schwartz had a 3-for-5 effort in game one and swiped two bases and flashed the leather on defense going perfect in 14 chances (11 assists) for the afternoon.
• Justus Acosta knocked a season-high three hits with a RBI in game one.
• J.J. McLaughlin went 2-for-2 coming off the bench in the opener with a double and run scored.
• Vincent Juliano matched his career-long start in the opener, working six innings, allowing three runs on six hits, striking out four and walking three in a no-decision.
• Matthew Rienzi tossed 1 2/3 scoreless, hitless innings of relief, striking out one and walking two.
• Michael Bode notched his first collegiate victory with a one batter relief appearance but took the loss in the start in game two working four innings and allowing seven runs and fanning two.

The Bear Facts

• The extra-inning win is the first since April 3, 2015 when the Bears defeated Old Westbury, 3-2, to split a non-conference doubleheader. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak in extra-inning affairs.
• The walk-off win is the 13th in program history and 3rd in extra innings.
• The all-time series between the two squads remains even at 5-5.

Next Up for the Bears

• SJC will host Drew University in a non-conference clash on Wednesday (April 4) starting at 4 p.m. at Calvert Vaux Park. Live stats will be available on SJCBears.com.