PANTHER BASEBALL PICKS UP NINTH STRAIGHT WIN IN SWEEPING PAST STATEN ISLAND

APRIL 23, 2009

Old Westbury at Staten Island Boxscore (Game 1)
Old Westbury at Staten Island Boxscore (Game 2)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-The SUNY College at Old Westbury baseball team notched their ninth straight victory on Thursday evening with a sweep over non-conference opponent, College of Staten Island, 10-3 and 7-6 on the road at the CSI Baseball Complex.  Old Westbury improves to 22-10 on the season while Staten Island drops to 14-16.

Panthers at the plate (Game 1): Junior Joe Manzella (North Babylon, N.Y.) picked up three RBI, two runs scored and two hits to spark the club offensively.  Manzella clubbed his second homer of the season over the right field wall to score classmate Albert Bevacqua (Staten Island, N.Y.) in the fourth inning to give Old Westbury a 6-2 lead.  Bevacqua (2-for-4) along with sophomore Steve Henriquez (North Babylon, N.Y.) and senior Ben Farmer (Three Mile Bay, N.Y.) each scored two runs.  Farmer stole a team-high four bags and Manzella followed with two.  Sophomore Ryan Blanco put the Panthers on the board in the first frame with a single to right field to score Manzella from second.  Sophomore Emmanuel Mateo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) followed with a triple to center field to bring home Blanco.

Dolphins at the plate (Game 1): A key player offensively was junior Tom DiPietro (Staten Island, N.Y.), who in picked up two RBI in the third inning off a single to score freshman Henry Roman (Staten Island, N.Y.) and junior Devon DiCasoli (Staten Island, N.Y.).  Sophomore Patrick Gale (Staten Island, N.Y.) platted a triple to right field in the first inning to hit 1-for-4 at the plate.

Panthers on the mound (Game 1): Sophomore Joshua Burgos (New York, N.Y.) worked six quality innings, turning the ball over to the bullpen after giving up three runs on six hits along with two strikeouts to get his second win of the season.  Junior Dan Fordyce (Brentwood, N.Y.) struck out two batters in a scoreless seventh inning.

Dolphins on the mound (Game 1): Sophomore Jeff Pontebbi (Staten Island, N.Y.) was roughed up in defeat, as he only pitched four innings, giving up eight runs on 10 hits.  Sophomore Paul Matusiewicz (Staten Island, N.Y.) and freshman Josh Giarmita (Staten Island) combined for three innings in relief of starter Pontebbi, surrendering two runs and three walks.      

Game Notes (Game 1): Old Westbury outhit Staten Island, 11-6, including a 5-1 advantage in extra base hits.  On the base path, Old Westbury stole seven bags and stranded seven runners on base while Staten Island left six on.  Staten Island turned a double-play and committed one error as Old Westbury played flawless defense.  On the mound, Old Westbury had four strikeouts and three walks compared to Staten Island, which had one strikeout and three walks. 

Panthers at the plate (Game 2): After reaching on an infield single, Emmanuel Mateo (2-for-4, R) scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning for the game-winning run.  Mateo also drilled a triple to right center in the fifth inning to score Joe Manzella and Albert Bevacqua.  Bevacqua totaled a 2-for-4 game at the plate with two runs scored and two stolen bases.  Freshman Ronnie Petito (Cape Coral, FL) and Steven Henriquez (2-for-3, R) each doubled to collect two hits.  Ben Farmer hit 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored. 

Dolphins at the plate (Game 2): Freshman Steve Hession (Staten Island, N.Y.) collected three hits in three trips to the plate for the Dolphins, including three runs scored and three RBI.  Patrick Gale doubled to hit 1-for-3 with two runs scored while sophomore Ryan Nomoyten (Staten Island, N.Y.) went 2-for-4 and scored one run.    

Panthers on the mound (Game 2):  Freshman Biondis Vasquez (Elmont, N.Y.) was the starter but did not factor into the decision after an ineffective outing, giving up five runs on four hits and four walks in a short outing (1 inning).  Freshman Alexander Villanueva (Brooklyn, N.Y.) worked three innings in relief of starter Vasquez, allowing one run on three hits and one walk.  Senior Jake Tauber (Valley Stream, N.Y.) pitched a scoreless fifth inning, tallying one hit and a strikeout.  Sophomore Jorge Hiraldo (Brooklyn, N.Y.) snared the victory (his second of the season), firing two innings of relief and allowing no runs on one hit.

Dolphins on the mound (Game 2): Freshman Casey Mulligan (Staten Island, N.Y), who started, surrendering six runs (5 earned) on nine hits in 4.1 innings on the hill.  Patrick Gale, who worked one inning out of the bullpen, was tagged with the loss, giving up a single in the seventh inning before freshman Chris D'Antuono (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tossed a wild pitch, allowing the winning run cross the plate.   

Game Notes (Game 2): Old Westbury held the advantage in hitting, 11-9, including a 3-2 margin in extra base hits.  Old Westbury stole four bases and left seven runners on while Staten Island stole one base and stranded eight.  On the defensive front, each team turned one double-play and Staten Island committed two miscues.  On the mound, Old Westbury struck out two batters and walks seven batters, compared to Staten Island, which had eight punch outs and one free pass.    

The Green and Ivory return to action on Saturday, April 25^th when they play host to Skyline Conference foe, Purchase College at the Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex.  First pitch in game one of the doubleheader is slated for 12:00 p.m. in Old Westbury.  Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on baseball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.