The Old Westbury Panthers fell 8-5 to John Jay this afternoon in a non-conference game played at NY Tech. With the loss, Old Westbury falls to 4-5 overall, while the Bloodhounds improve to 6-7.
The Panthers were the first team on the board, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first and added one in the second for an early 3-0 lead, but John Jay answered, scoring six runs in third and did not trail again.
Greg Jones reached base after an error by John Jay's third baseman with the Panthers' first at-bat. Jamie Quinn followed with a sacrifice bunt that advanced Jones to scoring position, but Ramon Geronimo wasted no time, scoring Jones and himself with a homer to leftfield. John Jay got out of the inning two batters later, as the Panthers grounded into a double play.
Old Westbury went up by three in the second, as Victor Carrion's RBI single scored Rob Knips, who had reached on a fielder's choice.
Sean Perrett and Rob Fernandez opened the Bloodhound's third inning with back-to-back singles and Kenneth Sepulveda knocked both runners home with a triple on the next play. Two batters later, Henry Chao's RBI single scored Sepulveda. With two outs and two runners on, James DeCesare hit a three-run shot over the left field fence, giving John Jay a 6-3 lead.
Old Westbury got back two runs in the bottom of the third, as Felipe Martinez and Rob Knips each recorded RBI singles, helping the Panthers pull within one. The Bloodhounds retaliated in the fifth, scoring two runs off of three hits to regain a three run lead.
The Panthers threatened with a rally in the eighth, loading bases with two outs, but John Jay pitcher, Emmanuel Rodriguez entered the game and retired the final batter, ending the Panthers' opportunity.
Michael Colletta earned the win for John Jay, while Rodriguez picked up the save. Geronimo finished 2-for-5 with two RBI to lead the Panthers offensively. Zach Flinn took the loss on the mound.
Old Westbury will return to action on Saturday, March 25 in the Skyline Conference opener at Farmingdale State. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for noon.