Box Score Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y. — For many years now, John Jay baseball has had a slogan it goes by, no matter how much they are down, “John Jay never dies!” On Saturday afternoon's conference opener, the defending CUNYAC champion Baruch College saw the slogan put to work at their expense. Trailing 8-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Bloodhounds scored six runs in the last inning to win it as John Jay defeated Baruch 9-8 at American Legion Field.
Nick Catalano (Staten Island, NY, St. Peter's Boys), who was named the conference Rookie of the Week on Thursday night, registered the game winning RBI by lifting a sacrifice fly to deep right field to score Dennis Lopez (Selden, NY, Newfield) to cap the rally.
The win improves the Bloodhounds to 3-13 (1-0 CUNYAC), while Baruch is 4-8 (0-1 CUNYAC).
John Jay out-hit Baruch 12-7. Steven Kendrick (Bronx, NY, Sacred Heart) registered three hits and was 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI, while Lopez and Wilmer Chavez (Corona, NY, Queens Vocational)had two hits each. Danny LoPresti (Brooklyn, NY, Abraham Lincoln) picked up his first NCAA win after pitching 3.2 innings in relief.
The Bloodhounds got first run on the Bearcats with a run in the first and another in the third. On both instances Chavez registered the RBI scoring Xavier Perez (Bronx, NY, Manhattan Center) both times. In the first Chavez connected on a single to left to score Perez the first time. In the third Chavez lifted a sacrifice fly to right to drive Perez in.
Meanwhile starting pitcher Taylor Perez (Staten Island, NY, Fossil Ridge) cruised along for the first five innings allowing no runs on just one hit. For the game he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on one hit.
In the top of the sixth, Baruch scored four times off of Perez and LoPresti and took a 4-2 lead.
The Bearcats extended the lead in the top of the eighth with another run on an RBI groundout by Thomas Daly, who was 2-for-5 with four RBI.
John Jay got back to within two runs with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning. Back-to-back doubles to start the eighth by Chavez and Benjamin Beiro (Bronx, NY, Wesley Chapel) earned the run as Chavez scored from second on Beiro's hit.
But Baruch got out of a jam. Starting pitcher David Chestnut, who went 7.2 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits, left with the bases loaded in the eighth before relief pitcher Noel Placencia came in and got the final out of the inning.
Baruch then added extra runs in the top of the ninth, scoring three times to extend the lead to 8-3. Daly hit a two-out double to right-center that scored two runs and put the Bearcats up by five.
But John Jay never died and went right to work in the bottom half. Catalano and Xavier Perez both reached base to start the inning. Then with the bases loaded, Kendrick's third hit of the game, a single through the left side, scored Catalano, and the bases remained loaded for the rest of the game as the Bloodhounds scored one run at a time.
The next batter, Jason Witten (Staten Island, NY, New Dorp), fought back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk and force in Perez. Then Lopez ripped a single through the right side to bring home Beiro. Hector Class then received a free pass to score Kendrick to make the score 8-7. The next batter, Edwin Hernandez (Brooklyn, NY, Murry Bergtraum), singled through the left side to score Cosme Munoz (Brooklyn, NY, John Dewey), who pinch ran for Witten after reaching third base, to tie the game setting the stage for Catalano.
Baruch then went to the bullpen to face the rookie second baseman who lifted a two-strike pitch to right as Lopez to score Lopez on the sacrifice fly.
Placencia picked up the loss for Baruch.
The two conference rivals will lock horns again tomorrow for a doubleheader at Bronx Community College starting at noon.
