Box Score Purchase, NY
(Mar. 20, 2019) – Purchase College scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth and edged the visiting Falcons of Albertus Magnus, 3-2, in non-conference baseball action Wednesday afternoon.
With the win, the Panthers advance above a .500 record at 5-4 overall. In defeat, Albertus drops to 6-3 overall.
Top offensive performers for Purchase included junior right fielder
John Fitzgerald (Wantagh, NY), junior third baseman
Patrick Wallace (Manorville, NY) and sophomore second baseman
Dylan Flynn (Hauppauge, NY). Fitzgerald went 3-for-4 with two doubles, while Wallace went 2-for-3, including a RBI double. Flynn highlighted the bottom of the seventh with a triple to right center field.
Purchase deployed seven of the 15 pitchers on its roster in Wednesday's victory. Rookie ace
Jemal Betances (FR/Bronx, NY) picked up his first win of the season in relief. The Panther newcomer struck out two and allowed three hits over three innings of action.
Lorenzo Lagares (JR/Jamaica, NY) earned the save after tossing 11 pitches in the final inning.
Albertus took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. A hit-by-pitch followed by a double put runners at second and third. Nick Miller doubled down the left field line to score both runners and give the visitors an early 2-0 lead.
The Panthers got up on the board in the bottom of the second. Fitzgerald led off with a double to left center and advanced to third on a Wallace single through the right side. Senior left fielder
Matthew Villalobos (Brooklyn, NY) earned the RBI on the next play with a fielder's choice that brought Fitzgerald home to score.
Purchase tied the game at 2-apiece in the bottom of the fourth inning. Fitzgerald ignited the run with a double to left field. Wallace was next in line and smashed another double to left field, bring Fitzgerald in from second to even the score.
In the sixth, Fitzgerald led off with a single to left field. Wallace sacrifice bunted to push Fitzgerald into scoring position, followed by Villalobos and sophomore pinch hitter
Matthew Mulligan, who both walked. With the bases loaded, senior catcher
Nick Tuozzola (Milford, CT) lofted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Fitzgerald with the eventual winning run in the 3-2 triumph.
Albertus relief pitcher Jay Palais (2-1) was tagged with the loss.
The Panthers return to the Purchase diamond this Saturday to take on Jon Jay College in a non-conference doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.
