Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
OLD WESTBURY, NY (
www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) -The SUNY College at Old Westbury baseball team swept the visiting Purchase Panthers to earn the No. 2 seed, including the opening round bye in the upcoming Skyline Conference Championship Tournament. Old Westbury took the opener, 4-1, and a 3-2 win in the finale Saturday afternoon from the Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex sent Purchase into the No. 3 seed. Old Westbury (22-13-1) now has a nine game winning streak and closed out their conference schedule with a 13-3 record. Purchase (20-15) slipped to 12-4 in conference play.
Game One: Old Westbury 4, Purchase 1
Old Westbury starter
Arismendy Nunez (5-4) registered seven strikeouts and scattered four hits in eight innings of work to record his fifth win of the season.
Alex DiSanto closed out his 11th game of the season and stranded three on base in the ninth inning.
Old Westbury's first four batters reached base to open the home half of the first as
Jonathan Pagan delivered a two-run double to score
Paul Valerio and
Brian Walsh for the games initial runs. Two batters later,
Peter Romeo lifted a sacrifice fly out to left field that
Jeremy Delgado tagged up on to put Old Westbury ahead 3-0.
Purchase crossed their lone run of the game in the fourth inning when Daniel Stroud scored on a throwing error by second baseman
Steve Mare to make it a 3-1 game.
Mare made up for his error in the bottom of the fourth by reaching on a fielder's choice and scoring on a single by
Eddie Hernandez to close out the scoring books.
Pagan (2-3, 2 RBI, SB) and Delgado (2-3, R) paced Old Westbury as they held an 8-5 hitting advantage over Purchase. Pagan's double in the first was the lone extra base hit of the game.
Matt Paz (5-4) was stuck with Purchase's loss, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks in seven innings of mound work.
Game Two: Old Westbury 3, Purchase 2
Purchase jumped ahead early with a one-run first inning. Back-to-back singles opened the game followed by a double steal and a walk loaded the bases for Ronald Echavarria. Echavarria slugged a sacrifice fly out to right to score Michael Sarni for the first run.
Old Westbury answered in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs to take a 2-1 lead. Valerio was plunked to open for Old Westbury and Walsh drew a walk. Old Westbury executed a double steal to set the table for Pagan, who looped a two-run single to right center.
Purchase knotted the game at 2-2 in the third on throwing error by catcher
Brandon Stein, which allowed Sarni to score. With two on and two out, starter
Christopher Vitale was pulled in favor of
Stephen Chapter. Chapter uncorked a wild pitch to his first batter, which moved runners to scoring position. Chapter settled down and rang up Michael Skoller of three strikes to escape out of the jam.
Once again, Old Westbury closed out the scoring early, tacking on a single run in the fourth. Romeo tripled to left center and
Jacob Coners singled him home for the game-winner, making it a 3-2 game.
Purchase threatened in the seventh with a pinch hit single by John Duffy that ended Chapter's day. In comes DiSanto, who allowed a sacrifice bunt, which Duffy advanced to third on. DiSanto then played it cool, inducing a fly out and a ground out to record his 12th save of the season. The save tied Chris Okolski's program best single season record which originally set in 1997, the year he was the national save champion.
Pagan once again carried the big bat for Old Westbury, producing a 2-for-3 game at the plate with two RBI. Purchase outhit Old Westbury, 8-6, led by multi-hit game by Sarni (2-3, 2 R, 2 SB) and Echavarria (2-2, RBI).
Chapter (3-2) scattered three hits and fanned six batters in 3.1 innings of relief to earn the win.
Mitch Paz (4-4) was saddled with the loss after surrendering all three runs on six hits and four walks in 5.2 innings.
UNITED STATES MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY MARINERS UP NEXT FOR OLD WESTBURY: Old Westbury returns to the diamond on Tuesday (April 30) at 7 p.m. when they take on the visiting United States Merchant Marine Academy Mariners in a non-conference clash from the Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex.
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