Box Score Box Score
The John Jay baseball team got five runs in a pivotal eighth inning, including four off the bat of John DeCrescenzo (Brooklyn, NY/ Telecommunications) who hammered a grand slam to give the Bloodhounds the lead for good as they defeated Stevens Tech 7-4 on Wednesday afternoon.
The win improves John Jay to 2-5, while Stevens Tech is 2-9.
The host Ducks got two runs across in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead after two. But the Bloodhounds cut the deficit in half in the top half of the third on an unearned run off a Stevens Tech error as John Massoni (Staten Island, NY/ St. Peter’s Boys) crossed the plate for John Jay’s first run of the afternoon.
But Stevens Tech would get another run across in the bottom half of the sixth on a solo homerun to give the Ducks another two run cushion.
But the Bloodhounds matched runs with Stevens and got another run in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by James DeCesare (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) to drive in Massoni.
Finally the eighth inning the Bloodhounds got to the Stevens pitching, who used eight pitchers on the afternoon.
Coming into the inning down 3-2 the Bloodhounds tied the game at 3-3 as Kenny Sepulveda (Valley Stream, NY/ Valley Stream Central) walked with the bases loaded to drive in Joe Ayala (Bronx, NY/ St. Raymond’s) who led off the inning with a seeing eye single.
After tying the game the Bloodhounds quickly cleared the bases as DeCrescenzo’s round tripper scored Sepulveda, Gonzalo Gonzalez (Brooklyn, NY/ FDR) and Tim Murphy (Yorktown Heights, NY/ Yorktown).to give John Jay a 7-3 lead.
Stevens salvaged a run in the bottom of the eighth frame to cut the Bloodhound lead to 7-4 but not enough as relief pitchers Anthony Cestaro (Paramus, NJ/ Paramus) and Manny Rodriguez (Manhattan, NY/ Manchester) sealed the deal in the final two innings. Rodriguez pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save, his first of the season, while Massoni picked up with win in relief. He allowed two runs over three innings in the victory.
The Bloodhounds will return to action on Sat. Mar. 24 for their 2007 home opener, a doubleheader against Baruch College at American Legion Field starting at 12 p.m.
