By: By Michael L. Damon
Box Score Box Score
West Harrison, N.Y. — Playing for the first time since returning from a week long trip in Florida, the John Jay baseball team was defeated by SUNY Purchase as the Bloodhounds lost to the Panthers 7-4 in a John Jay home game hosted by SUNY Purchase at Silver Lake Park.
SUNY Purchase combined five pitchers in the contest with the latter four pitching seven innings of shutout ball allowing no runs on three hits over the last 21 outs and mustered enough offense in the middle innings to earn the win.
John Jay starting pitcher
Michael Colletta (Staten Island, NY, New Dorp) pitched seven innings and fanned 11 batters, five of which batters were caught looking. But four John Jay errors and a deficiency of offense in the middle and late innings proved too much to overcome as the Bloodhounds are now 0-10 this season.
John Jay took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The Bloodhounds got on the board when
Xavier Perez (Bronx, NY, Manhattan Center), who was hit by the pitch to lead off the inning, scored from third on a groundout to shortstop by
Steven Roman (Middletown, NY, Chapel Field Christian). John Jay added the other run when the next batter,
Edwin Hernandez (Brooklyn, NY, Murry Bergtraum)ripped a single to leftfield to score
Benjamin Beiro (Bronx, NY, Wesley Chapel), who walked in that inning to reach base and was the only Bloodhound to record more than one hit as he went 2-for-3.
The Panthers however came back to counter with a trio of runs to take a 3-2 lead. SUNY Purchase used a one out rally to get the scoring started. They inherited six straight base runners, including three on singles, one on a double, one on a triple and one on a walk to jump start the offense.
But John Jay counted with two more runs to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third. The first four batters reached base in the inning, with the first three charged to the Panthers starting pitcher, causing Purchase to go to the bullpen.
After allowing a single to Beiro, which dove in
Luis Guzman (Yonkers, NY, Mt. St. Michael's)who tripled earlier in the inning, the Panthers bullpen retired eight straight batters and 13 of the next 14 keeping the Bloodhounds in check.
John Jay still led 4-3 into the sixth inning when SUNY Purchase tied the game with an inside the park homerun, a lined shot to right center to rolled more than 400 feet to the fence, to lead off the frame.
The Panthers then scored what turned out to be the game winning runs in the top of the seventh. The first run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly, which was dropped in right field, giving SUNY Purchase a 5-4 lead.
They tacked on another run in the seventh and a solo homerun in the eighth to give SUNY Purchase a three run lead and win.
SUNY Purchase outhit John Jay 11-8 in the contest. John Jay left nine runners on base.
John Jay is back in action on Fri. for a home game at Legion Field against St. Joseph's-Brooklyn at 3:30 p.m.
