Old Westbury, NY — The John Jay baseball team battled across a midweek non-conference twinbill but ultimately dropped both contests to Old Westbury on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The Panthers used a decisive third inning to take the opener, 6–3, before pulling away late in the nightcap for a 16–6 victory.
With the results, the Bloodhounds fall to 1–31 on the season, while Old Westbury improves to 11–15.
Game 1: Old Westbury 6, John Jay 3
John Jay came out sharp in the opener, building an early 3–1 lead behind timely hitting and situational execution.
The Bloodhounds struck first in the second inning when
Matthew Apostolou delivered an RBI single to center, scoring
Hayden Tackett. After Old Westbury evened the score on an unearned run in the bottom half, John Jay responded in the third.
Jaxen Gangwish sparked the rally with a single and later scored on an RBI knock from
Alex Daly, while Tackett followed with an RBI groundout to push the lead to 3–1.
Old Westbury flipped the game in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on defensive miscues to plate five runs—four of them unearned. RBI singles from
Mike Petrucelly and
Chris Bartnik, coupled with a wild pitch and a balk, helped the Panthers surge ahead 6–3.
John Jay threatened in the middle innings, collecting eight hits in the contest, including a double from
Mark Piri, but could not break through against the Panther bullpen.
Gangwish and
Sebastian Sanchez led the offense with two hits apiece, while Daly and Apostolou each drove in a run. Tackett added an RBI and a run scored.
On the mound,
Alex Morrissey allowed just one unearned run over 1.2 innings in the start.
Michael Luongo (0-5) was charged with the loss, while
Saujan Christie provided a strong relief outing, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings and allowing just one hit.
For Old Westbury, Petrucelly paced the lineup with two hits and an RBI, while Bartnik added an RBI and a run scored.
Noah Tannenbaum reached base multiple times, scoring twice and swiping three bases.
Game 2: Old Westbury 16, John Jay 6
In the nightcap, Old Westbury's offense erupted early and often, but not before John Jay delivered its most explosive inning of the day.
The Panthers grabbed an early 1–0 lead in the first before breaking the game open with five runs in the second. A two-run double from
John Gilroy highlighted the frame, while RBI contributions from
AJ Giel,
Nick Mace, and
Donny Whalen extended the lead to 6–0.
After being held scoreless through three innings, the Bloodhounds responded emphatically in the fourth inning, erupting for six runs to tie the game at 6–6.
Jose Suero ignited the rally with a double and went on to finish a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate.
Julian Diaz followed with an RBI single, while
Jayden Dixon added an RBI on a fielder's choice.
Matthew Apostolou chipped in with a sacrifice fly, and Dixon later scored on a throwing error after stealing third. Moments later,
Jaxen Gangwish ripped an RBI triple, and Suero capped the inning with an RBI single to complete the comeback.
Old Westbury answered immediately in the bottom of the fourth, reclaiming the lead on an RBI double from Whalen and adding another run on a defensive miscue.
The Panthers continued to pour it on, plating three runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Whalen delivered a dominant performance, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored.
Angelo Velez added three hits and an RBI, while Mace finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Gilroy contributed two RBI, and the Panthers totaled 16 hits in the contest.
For John Jay, Suero's four-hit performance led the way, while Gangwish added a triple and an RBI. Diaz and Apostolou each drove in a run, and Dixon swiped two bases and scored once.
Vincent Gangone reached base three times with a hit and two walks.
On the mound,
Anthony Ponzo (1-0) earned the win in relief, while
Michael Sgobbo (0-3) was charged with the loss for the Bloodhounds. Old Westbury's bullpen closed the door over the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six.
The Bloodhounds resume CUNYAC play on Friday afternoon with a twinbill at Baruch beginning at noon from Flowers Park in New Rochelle, NY.
