PURCHASE, NY – Purchase College split a Skyline Conference baseball doubleheader with SUNY Maritime on Saturday to conclude the home portion of its 2019 campaign. The host Panthers (16-14, 6-8 SKY) defeated the visiting Privateers (21-16, 11-7 SKY) 6-3 in the opener before surrendering a 5-1 loss in game two.
In-between games, Purchase celebrated its seven seniors with a Senior Day ceremony.
Devin Merone (Eastchester, NY),
Matthew Villalobos (Brooklyn, NY),
Nick Tuozzola (Milford, CT),
Jake Scimone (Bayport-Blue-Point, NY),
Neal Koch (Clarkstown, NY) and co-captains
Gregory Walsh (Bethpage, NY) and
Brian Cunningham (Westbury, NY) were individually recognized for their accomplishments both on and off the field.
Game One: Purchase 6, Maritime 3
Purchase broke the scoring ice in the bottom of the first inning on a
Patrick Wallace (SO/Manorville, NY) RBI single up the middle.
Dylan Flynn (SO/Hauppauge, NY) led off the inning with a single through the right and later stole second with
Gavin Brien (JR/Brooklyn, NY) at the plate. Flynn came around to score on Wallace's at bat to light up the board for the home team, 1-0.
Maritime answered back the following inning to even the score at one apiece. Adam Mosca led off with a single but advanced to third and in scoring position on a Panther throwing error. Privateer teammate Joe Scerra pushed Mosca across home plate (1-1) with a RBI groundout to third base.
After both teams went scoreless in the third, Purchase tacked on two fourth inning runs to take back the lead, 3-1.
Nick Lasala (JR/Massapequa Park, NY) got things started with a leadoff single up the middle before Wallace ignited the rally with a bomb over the left field wall—a season-second for Wallace in 2019.
Maritime's Phil Russo batted in another run for the visitors with a double in the top of the sixth (3-2), but Purchase answered back with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning (4-2).
The Panthers stretched their lead to 6-2 in the eighth inning, thanks to the combined RBI effort of Cunningham and Villalobos. Cunningham's triple to left center pushed pinch runner
James Shea (FR/Brooklyn, NY) around the bases and Villalobos's single to the shortstop drove Cunningham in from third to score (6-2).
After Russo led off the ninth for Maritime with a fly out to center field, Purchase ace
Cody Hennequin (SO/Milford, CT) was down to his two outs after tossing almost 90 pitches. Travis Zurita kept things alive for the visitors with a single up the middle and later reached second on a fielder's choice. Hennequin then threw four straight balls to walk the next batter. With runners at first and second, Joe Scerra singled to left field to score Antonio Diaz (6-3) and force a Panther pitching change.
Jemal Betances (FR/Bronx, NY) recorded the final out for Purchase and first save of his career as a
Jake Vera fly out to right field stranded two runners in scoring position and ended the game.
Hennequin (4-2) pitched 8.2 innings with eight hits allowed and three runs (2 ER). He dominated the mound with a notable seven strikeouts, while issuing just two walks.
Game Two: Maritime 5, Purchase 1
Russo put Maritime out in front early in game two. In the top of the first, the junior first baseman singled through the right side to push Matt Eng around the bases to score (1-0).
Purchase added a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning on a Lasala single to left field.
The Privateers took back the lead with a pair of runs in the following inning, thanks to a 2-RBI single through the left side from Eng. Maritime would nurse a 3-1 lead before stretching it to 5-1 in the top of the fourth on back-to-back RBI hits from Diaz and Eng, respectively.
Meanwhile, Maritime's bullpen shut down Purchase's offense the rest of the way to secure the game two victory.
Senior Day Ceremony
The following was written by head coach
Adam Taraska and announced by Luke Kubisch '19.
#1 Devin Merone – Our first honoree transferred to us from Westchester Community College after playing at Eastchester HS and made an immediate impact in his first game as a Panther in 2018. On the road at Voorhees College in South Carolina, he stepped to the plate in the top of the 7th with the Panthers trailing by one and smashed a 2 RBI single to CF to give the Panthers the Opening Day win. Since then he has been a fantastic Panther, gaining the respect of his teammates and coaches with his dedication to the team. The commuter is always the first one to report to practice and games. He has taken advantage of his opportunities to the fullest in his two years as a Panther. He has especially been counted on in pinch-running situations as his legs have scored us 9 runs over the past two years. He will graduate with a degree in History and a 3.22 cumulative GPA.
From Eastchester, NY, outfielder, #1 Devin Merone.
#24 Jake Scimone – This next senior transferred to Purchase after his freshman year at Dominican College. Unfortunately, all three years of his Purchase career have been plagued by injuries, but that did not stop him from being a fantastic leader and well-respected teammate. His knowledge of the game was a constant advantage in the dugout, and his tutelage of his younger teammates was very admirable. He recently fought through pain for one last college appearance Wednesday at Manhattanville - his only appearance of the 2019 season. He will graduate with a degree in Journalism. From Bayport-Bluepoint, NY, pitcher, #24 Jake Scimone.
#11 Matthew Villalobos – The next senior transferred in after two years at Jefferson Community College. He immediately earned his way into the starting lineup as the team's centerfielder in his junior year. His baseball IQ and smooth, easy motions on the baseball field were proof of his superior skills. His quiet demeanor was a calming influence on his teammates. The two way player hit .337 with 8 stolen bases and 4 outfield assists, and also pitched to a 3.86 ERA in three appearances on the mound his junior year. In this, his senior year, he earned his first win on the mound with 4 innings pitched and just 4 hits and 0 earned runs allowed at College of Staten Island. Injuries have limited him to 41 at-bats this season, but he is hitting .293 with 7 runs and 3 stolen bases. He will graduate with a degree in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. From Brooklyn, NY, outfielder and pitcher, #11 Matt Villalobos.
#51 Neal Koch – The next senior is a four year Panther who was recruited from nearby Clarkstown South HS. The crafty lefty has 21 1/3 innings pitched in his career, which includes a start in his freshman season against Montclair State. The venerable leader has helped guide the pitching staff for years, not just in his senior season. He was always available out of the pen and always wanted the ball. He learned to work quickly and throw plenty of strikes – a pitcher the defense loves playing behind. He recently recorded his second career save against College of New Rochelle to go along with his 2017 win against cross-town rival Manhattanville. He will graduate with a degree in Economics with a minor in History and a cumulative GPA of 3.27. From Clarkstown, NY, pitcher, #51 Neal Koch.
#22 Nick Tuozzola – Our next senior is another four-year Panther recruited as a catcher from Foran High School in Milford, CT. In 64 career starts, he has amassed 41 hits, 28 RBI, 2 homeruns, and 10 stolen bases. Perhaps most impressively, in four years of baseball, he has made just 3 errors. His shotgun arm have made baserunners think twice about running on him. In this, his senior year, he has thrown out 6 baserunners attempting to steal. His blocking and receiving skills have made pitchers love throwing to him. The classic example of a player who has developed over the course of his career, his numbers steadily improved each year. He will graduate with a degree in Liberal Studies, with minors in political science and history. From Milford, CT, catcher, #22 Nick Tuozzola.
#5 Gregory Walsh – our next honoree is another four year Panther, recruited as an infielder out of Bethpage HS. He started his Panther career as a second baseman and made the switch to shortstop his sophomore season. In his four years as a starter, he has amassed 65 hits, 54 runs, 28 RBI's, 26 stolen bases, and 1 homerun. Impressively, he was able to lift his batting average .151 points from his sophomore to his junior season. Also notably, he cut his errors in half from 15 to 7 from his junior to his senior year. He has made some sparkling plays over the years, including throwing out an advancing baserunner to end a game at home plate against St. Joe's Brooklyn, preserving the one run win in his freshman year. He has also been a part of 13 double plays in this, his senior season. He has 273 career assists. He was also counted on from a leadership perspective. The leader of the infield, his knowledge of situations proved valuable to the entire team. He will graduate with a degree in Economics, with minors in Math/Computer Science and History and carries a 3.42 cumulative GPA. The co-captain of the Panthers, from Bethpage, NY, shortstop, #5 Greg Walsh.
#6 Brian Cunningham – and finally, the two-year captain of the Panthers. This four year starter was recruited from W.T. Clarke HS on Long Island. He took the lineup by storm, forcing his way into a starting spot from day one of his career, eventually leading to a .330 batting average his freshman year. He followed that up with a .320 average and a .351 average in his sophomore and junior seasons, respectively. He recently collected his 100th career hit against Farmingdale State. Returning to campus for his junior season, he asked the coaching staff to give him a shot as a two-way player. His request was obliged and he quickly became one of the Panthers' top starting pitchers. In 16 career starts, he has 7 wins and 50 strikeouts in his 74 innings pitched, highlighted by a complete game shutout of Old Westbury in 2018. As a two year captain, he was counted on for many things both on and off the field. With the help of teammate and friend Greg Walsh, the two have provided some of the best leadership the program has seen. He will graduate with a degree in Sociology and a sterling 3.7 cumulative GPA. The co-captain, from Westbury, NY, #6 Brian Cunningham.
