Purchase, NY (Mar. 24, 2019) – The Purchase College baseball team opened Skyline Conference action with a doubleheader sweep over Yeshiva University at home Sunday afternoon. With contributions from both the Panther offense and starting pitchers,
Brian Cunningham (SR/Westbury, NY) and
John Fitzgerald (JR/Wantagh, NY), Purchase walked away with 11-1 and 9-4 victories on the day.
Purchase stands at 9-4 overall and 2-0 in the Skyline—the most notable start in recent program history. In defeat, Yeshiva drops to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the league.
Game One: Purchase 11, Yeshiva 1
Purchase erupted with four runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead.
Gregory Walsh (SR/Bethpage, NY) led off with a single through the right side. He later stole second and came around to score on a Fitzgerald single to center field.
Matthew Mulligan reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and later scored on a
Patrick Wallace (JR/Manorville, NY) single through the left side. With
Matthew Villalobos (SR/Brooklyn, NY) at the plate, Wallace stole second. Villalobos walked, and with runners at first and second,
Tighe Jorgensen (SO/Fairfield, CT) smashed a double down the left field line to push PC's lead to 3-0.
The Panthers scored the final two runs of the inning on RBI singles from
Gavin Brien (JR/Brooklyn, NY) and
Dylan Flynn (SO/Hauppauge, NY), respectively. Nicholas Tuozzola (SR/Milford, CT) and Glennnd Jarrin (SO/Bronx, NY) came around to score on the consecutive plays.
Purchase held the advantage over Yeshiva for the remainder of the game, tacking on security runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Jarrin and Jorgenson led the Panther offense in the twin bill opener. Jarrin went 3-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases, while Jorgenson batted 2-for-4, including two doubles, two RBI and a pair of runs. Purchase also had runs batted in by Walsh (2-for-6, 2RBI, 2R),
Brendan Rose (SO/Brooklyn, NY) (1-for-1, 2RBI), Flynn (1-for-2, 1RBI),
Jemal Betances (FR/Bronx, NY) (1-for-1, 1RBI), Brien (1-for-2, 1RBI) and Wallace (1-for-4, 1RBI).
Cunningham (2-1) earned the win for PC after putting in seven innings of work on the mound. The veteran pitcher struck out five, walked two and allowed one run (0 ER) on three hits.
Game Two: Purchase 9, Yeshiva 4
Purchase opened game two in similar fashion—knocking in a series of early runs and holding the advantage over Yeshiva throughout the game.
Flynn batted in the first and game-winning run in the bottom of the first inning. The starting second baseman crushed a triple to right field to bring Walsh in to score from second base. Wallace followed with a triple of his own, scoring Flynn and pushing Purchase's lead to 2-0.
Zack Dicanio (SO/Mastic, NY) capped the scoring run with a RBI single down the left field line. Wallace scored the third and final run of the inning on the play.
Yeshiva answered back with a run in the top of the second but Purchase fired in a trio of scored in the fourth to stretch its lead to 6-1.
The Maccabees knocked in a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh but the visiting defense was no match for the power-hitting Panthers. Purchase recorded three runs in the sixth to secure the 9-4 victory.
Flynn highlighted game two with four hits on five trips to the plate, including two triples and a stolen base. He tallied two RBI and came around to score two of Purchase's nine runs. Wallace went 3-for-4 with two RBI, three runs, a triple and a double, while Walsh went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a pair of runs. Walsh also recorded an impressive four stolen bases in the winning effort.
Fitzgerald remains undefeated, 3-0, on the mound after putting in 6.1 innings of work for Purchase. The Panther ace struck out a notable 11 batters and gave up just four hits and two runs (1 ER).
Up next for Purchase is 9-inning game against soon-to-be league rival Manhattanville College on Tuesday. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
