The Purchase College baseball team wrapped up its 2018 season with a Skyline Conference doubleheader split at the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday. The Panthers claimed game two of the series, 5-4, after the host Mariners took a 19-6 victory in the opener at Lower Roosevelt Field.
Prior to the first game, the Mariners paid tribute to their five graduating seniors of the Class of 2018 – Jacob Sithong, Steve Lucy, Bryson Campbell, Michael Barnes, and Justus Martin.
With the first game victory, the Mariners clinched a berth in the upcoming Skyline Conference Baseball Championship tournament, which starts this Wednesday, May 2.
Game 1: USMMA 18, Purchase 6
The Mariners led the entire game, scoring three runs in the first inning and expanding their lead to 10-6 after five. They added three more in the seventh and exploded for six more in the eighth, ending the game early thanks to the 10-run rule after a walk-off grand slam by freshman Jack McCann. McCann (3-for-4, double and a home run) had a game-high seven RBIs, while Barnes (3-for-5) and freshman Vincenzo Alteri (1-for-3) both knocked in three runs, Barnes' three coming on a three-run homer in the second.
Freshman Alex Mesaros (2-for-2, double, three walks) knocked in two, while three other Mariners had one RBI each in the affair – Campbell (3-for-4), junior Tyler Mowry (1-for-2) and Lucy (2-for-3).
Mesaros scored a game-high four times, while Barnes and Alteri both scored three times. Mowry, Campbell and Sithong scored twice each, while junior Kyle Cunningham, McCann and Lucy all came across the plate once. The Mariners stole six bases in the first game with Mowry leading the way with two swipes.
On the mound, freshman Joe Raab got the win after tossing six innings and allowing six runs (just two earned) on nine hits with six strikeouts. He moves to 7-2 on the season. Freshman Andrew Hunt tossed the final two shutout innings, giving up four hits with two Ks.
Purchase was led by junior
Brian Cunningham (Westbury, NY), who went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in the third. Senior starter
Jonathon Deacon (Lindenhurst, NY) suffered the loss after lasting just 1.2 innings and giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits.
Game 2: Purchase 5, USMMA 4
The Panthers won the second game in extra innings, 5-4, in eight innings. They scored the first three runs of the game in the top of the fifth inning and led 4-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, but the Mariners tied the score up in with three runs in the sixth.
Purchase scored the go-ahead run on an error in the eighth and got the three defensive outs in the bottom half of the inning to secure the victory.
Sophomore
Jackson Hill (Brooklyn, NY) and freshman
Tighe Jorgensen (Fairfield, CT) led the Panther offense, each going 2-for-3. Hill doubled down the right field line in the top of the second and Jorgensen recorded a RBI single in the sixth inning.
Cunningham started for Purchase and went 5.2 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits with two strikeouts. The win went to sophomore
Lorenzo Lagares (Jamaica, NY), who threw the final 2.1 shutout innings with one hit allowed and one K.
Three different Mariners knocked in runs - Mowry (1-for-3), freshman Colin Baker (Clyde Hill, Wash.) (2-for-4) and Lucy (1-for-2) - and four different players scored - junior Jesse Reinebold (1-for-3), Barnes (0-for-2), junior Trevor Fox and classmate Reilly Cherry (2-for-2).
Martin got the start for Merchant Marine and lasted 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Classmate John Kelly Jr. came in for the next 3.2 innings and gave up the go-ahead unearned run in the eight after allowing just two hits with three Ks.
-USMMA Sports Information contributed to this report
