Madison, N.J.— Sloppy play and critical errors opened the floodgates for the home team as the John Jay baseball team lost a tough non conference game on the road losing to FDU-Madison 5-3 on Saturday afternoon.

 

The loss was the Bloodhounds’ second in a row, which comes on the heels of a nine game winning streak prior.

 

The host Devils scored one run in each the second, third, and fourth innings to take a 3-0 advantage over John Jay. FDU took the lead on a throwing error by the John Jay catcher which proved to be unearned as John Jay pitcher John Dobkowski (Brooklyn, NY/ Grover Cleveland) struck out a Devils batter for out number two in the inning. But a stolen base attempt proved successful as the pick off attempt was wild, allowing a runner from third to score.

 

FDU’s next batter grounded out to end the inning.

 

The Devils would take a 2-0 lead on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. In the fifth inning FDU added a run on an RBI single to go up 3-0.

 

A two run seventh inning by the Bloodhounds would get John Jay back to within a run.

 

John Massoni (Staten Island, NY/ St. Peter’s Boys) got the inning started when reaching on an error by the FDU shortstop, one of three errors on the afternoon by the Devils.

 

James DeCesare (Staten Island, NY/ Moore Catholic) then ripped a double to move Massoni to third. Next batter Henry Chao (Woodside, NY/ Bryant) smacked a single into centerfield to drive in Massoni for John Jay’s first run of the afternoon.

 

DeCesare then scored as Richard Santana (New York, NY/ A Phillip Randolph) reached on another FDU error, their second of the inning, to narrow the gap to 3-2.

 

But the bottom of the seventh would eventually do the Bloodhounds in. With two outs and nobody on the Devils mounted a two out rally that led to two unearned runs with help from Bloodhounds fielding blunders.

 

A two out triple by FDU would put a runner on third. But the runner came in to score as the next batter reached on a fielding error and advanced to third as the John Jay right fielder committed a key error to allow a run to score.

 

FDU was then awarded an insurance run on a throwing error by the John Jay catcher, his second of the game, and it gave FDU a 5-2 lead after seven.

 

The Bloodhounds did not go away quietly, and put together a rally in their final at bat. DeCesare led off with a double to left center, then after back-to-back strikeouts by the FDU starting pitcher, who struck out 14 Bloodhounds, including seven looking, DeCesare came around to score on an RBI single to right center by Santana.

 

But with the tying run at the plate the FDU pitcher, who went the distance in the win, struck out Bloodhound victim number 14 on the afternoon to preserve the win.

 

For John Jay, Dobkowski picked up the loss after going six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits, while striking out five. Michael Colletta (Staten Island, NY/ New Dorp) pitched three innings of relief and allowed two runs (both unearned) on two hits and struck out one.

 

John Jay will return to action on Mon. Apr. 9 for a game at Rutgers-Newark University starting at 3:30 p.m.