BASEBALL FINISHES OFF ROAD SLATE WITH SPLIT AT DOWLING; 6-3, 7-6

Box Score vs. Dowling (Game One) - May 2, 2009

Box Score vs. Dowling (Game Two) - May 2, 2009

BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. (May. 2, 2009) – Junior catcher Brian Benes (Omaha, Neb.) notched three RBI in a pair of games on Saturday afternoon as the Molloy College baseball team recorded a split with Dowling College in Brookhaven, N.Y. The Lions fell in the opener by a final of 6-3, before coming out victorious in the nightcap, 7-6. With the result, Molloy improved to 26-16 overall and 16-7 in the East Coast Conference. As for Dowling, it is now 26-13 and 14-9 mark against league opposition.

Game One – Dowling 6, Molloy 3
The Lions kicked off the scoring in Top-2 with a three-spot. Benes accounted for two of the RBI on a single up the middle. One inning after, the Golden Lions took a run back off a single to left by sophomore outfielder Brian Ferguson (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), which got home fellow sophomore outfielder Ralph Tufano (Eltingville, N.Y.) from second base. Later on, in the Dowling sixth, it knotted the contest up at 3-3 on a two-RBI double down the left-field line via the bat of senior outfielder Matt Monastero (Ridge, N.Y.).

The Golden Lions snatched the lead for good with another three-run effort in Bottom-8 this time. Senior catcher David Wendt (Methuen, Mass.) hit a one-out offering to left-center for a two-RBI double. Junior infielder Frank Intagliata (Franklin Square, N.Y.) and Ferguson got home on the hit. Junior utility Daniel Pembroke (Wading River, N.Y.) contributed the other ribbie on a groundout. For the Lions, sophomore outfielder Robert LaRusso (Bayside, N.Y.) batted a game-high three hits in the match.

Dowling junior pitcher Buddy Cipoletti (West Islip, N.Y.) earned the win in the decision. He tossed 0.2 innings of scoreless relief. Senior Kevin McCormack (Islip, N.Y.) notched the no-decision after yielding nine hits, three runs and two walks, while fanning three. Molloy junior hurler Steven Stewart (Levittown, N.Y.) earned the loss after throwing eight innings of seven-hit, six-run (four earned), three-strikeout, one-walk ball. Junior pitcher Joe Trainor (Massapequa, N.Y.) earned the save for the Golden Lions.

Game Two – Molloy 7, Dowling 6
In Game Two, the Lions took an early 2-0 advantage in Top-1. Sophomore third baseman Joseph Menendez (Washington Heights, N.Y.) and Benes slapped back-to-back RBI singles to the right and left side of the field, respectively. Two innings after, Molloy extended the lead to three with another single by Menendez, which sent home senior infielder Patrick Walsh (Bellmore, N.Y.) from second. During the latter of the third, Pembroke got one run back for Dowling via an RBI single to center field.

In Top-4, the Lions put the margin at 7-1. LaRusso doubled to left field for an RBI, freshman outfielder Carmine Pellechia (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit a sacrifice fly, and senior infielder Peter Loeb (College Point, N.Y.) posted an RBI groundout. Monastero diminished the shortfall to five in the Golden Lions’ half of the fourth off a batted ball to Loeb. Over the ensuing two innings, Dowling managed to push across four more runs, but was unable with making the comeback true.

Specifically, in the sixth, the Golden Lions earned RBI singles to center field by Intagliata and freshman catcher Taylor Bargiacchi (Chester, N.J.). Molloy freshman right-hander Justin Jorgensen (Bethpage, N.Y.) tossed 5.1 innings of eight-hit, five-run, three-walk ball for the victory. He also notched seven strikeouts. For Dowling, freshman pitcher Andrew English (Smithtown, N.Y.) was saddled with the loss. Lions’ senior right-hander Michael Vecchione (Levittown, N.Y.) got the save after throwing a scoreless ninth inning.

Head Coach Joe Fucarino and his squad return to the diamond tomorrow when Molloy closes out the regular season and a three-game series with Dowling at Lions’ Field in Rockville Centre, N.Y. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. If you cannot make it, you can follow the progress via Live Stats at http://livestats.prestosports.com/molloy.