Hackettstown, NJ – The John Jay baseball team erased an early three-run deficit with a six-run fourth inning and briefly reclaimed the lead in the sixth, but Centenary (N.J.) answered with 13 runs over the final three innings to hand the Bloodhounds a 21-9 setback on Sunday afternoon.
John Jay (1-16) piled up 13 hits and turning a 3-0 hole into a 6-3 advantage in the top of the fourth.
Sebastian Sanchez was hit by a pitch to open the rally,
Hayden Tackett doubled, and
James Horodyski lined a two-run single down the left-field line to get the Bloodhounds on the board. Later in the inning,
Mark Piri delivered the biggest blow with a three-run double down the left-field line, and
Matthew Apostolou followed with a sacrifice fly to cap the six-run frame.
Centenary responded immediately in the bottom half. Cole Schulberg drove in a run with a single, Chris Clark added an RBI double, and Blake Heitzman ripped a three-run double to right to swing the game back in the Cyclones' favor at 8-6.
The Bloodhounds continued to battle. Horodyski came around to score on a balk in the fifth, then John Jay surged back in front in the sixth when
Jaxen Gangwish launched a solo homer to left and Sanchez added an RBI double to make it 9-8.
Centenary's lineup broke through in the bottom of the sixth. After loading the bases, Schulberg crushed a go-ahead grand slam to left field, part of a six-run inning that put the hosts ahead for good at 14-9. Centenary then added four more runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to pull away.
Piri paced John Jay's offense with a 3-for-4 afternoon, three RBIs, one run scored, and three doubles. Horodyski finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Gangwish went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, and an RBI. Tackett also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, and
Julian Diaz chipped in two hits, including a triple, while scoring once and stealing two bases.
Centenary was led by Schulberg going 3-for-3 with seven RBIs, three runs scored, a double, and a home run. Heitzman added two hits and four RBIs, while Derek DePace went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Chris Clark contributed two hits and three RBIs, and Dominick Chiego scored three times as the Cyclones totaled 18 hits.
Carter Sari earned the win in relief for Centenary, while
Julio Reyes was charged with the loss for John Jay.
The Bloodhound will continue their road trip as they square off against #11 ranked Rowan on Tuesday afternoon in Glassboro, NJ. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.
