Box Score Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y.— Senior ace pitcher, Michael Colletta (Staten Island, NY, New Dorp) pitched his heart out. He threw 166 pitches and lasted 12.2 innings while striking out 13, eclipsing 100 for the season in the process. But Mitchell College platted four runs in the top of the thirteenth inning to snap a 4-4 tie and win as the Bloodhounds were defeated by the Mariners 8-4 in an elimination game of the 2009 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) at KeySpan Park.
With the loss, John Jay's season ends at 14-27 overall and co champions of the CUNYAC regular season title.
Closing out a marvelous four year career with John Jay, which included three trips to the conference finals, including one win, Colletta left it all on the field, literally.
“I was not coming out. This was my last career game and I was going to either win it or lose it,” said Colletta.”I was asked by coach a couple of times if I needed to come out, but I was staying in no matter how many innings the game lasted.”
After striking out the leadoff batter in the thirteenth, the right handed Colletta allowed a walk, followed by a triple that drove in the eventual winning run. He then allowed two more singles and a double as three more Mariners came home, before Palumbo reluctantly made a pitching change.
The game was scoreless after three innings. But Mitchell got on the board in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead.
John Jay had base runners in each of the first three innings and left five runners on through that span.
But they got on the board in the fourth on an RBI single by Steven Kendrick (Bronx, NY, Sacred Heart) that scored Jason Witten (Staten Island, NY, New Dorp).
The Mariners scored another run in the top of the fifth to go up 3-1. But John Jay countered with two in the bottom half to tie. James Podlucky (Staten Island, NY, IMG Academy)laced a single to center and Xavier Perez doubled to left as John Jay had two runners in scoring position.
A groundout by John Massoni (Staten Island, NY, St. Peter's Boys) scored Podlucky and a single by Benjamin Beiro (Bronx, NY, Wesley Chapel) got Perez home to tie the game.
Mitchell though went back on top with a run in the eighth. The Bloodhounds however tied the score in the bottom of the ninth. With one out Massoni laced a double to left center to bring home Perez, who was hit by the pitch in his at bat.
John Jay had 10 hits in the contest as Beiro and Perez each went 2-for-5 in the contest.
Johan Abad (Corona, NY, Flushing) was 1-for-6 to end the season on a 17 game hitting streak.
