New Rochelle, NY - The John Jay College baseball team fought in two tightly contested games against Baruch on Friday afternoon at Flowers Park, but the Bearcats used timely hitting and strong pitching to complete a doubleheader sweep over the Bloodhounds in CUNYAC action.
Baruch claimed the opener, 2-1, before securing the nightcap, 4-1, as John Jay moved to 1-33 overall on the season while the Bearcats improved to 13-12.
Game 1 – John Jay 1, Baruch 2
The Bloodhounds struck first in the opening game and received another strong outing from starter
Alex Morrissey, but a two-run third inning by Baruch proved to be the difference. John Jay wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first inning when
Jaxen Gangwish opened the game with a triple to right field. After
Alex Daly struck out,
Jose Suero brought Gangwish home with an RBI fielder's choice to give the Bloodhounds an early 1-0 lead. Suero later advanced to second on a wild pitch and
Sebastian Sanchez drew a walk, but Baruch starter Andrew LaPointe escaped further trouble and settled into a dominant rhythm.
Morrissey matched him early, retiring Baruch in order in the first and working through traffic in the second. Frank Scerra reached on a walk in the second before being picked off, while Kenneth Pastrana was hit by a pitch but was later thrown out trying to steal second as John Jay's defense preserved the lead.
The turning point came in the bottom of the third. After Matthew Rappa was hit by a pitch and Michael Rossi walked, Nicholas Benedetto singled to left to create pressure. Although Rossi was thrown out at the plate on the play, Baruch kept the inning alive as Roy Longarzo followed with an infield single. Peter Marino then tied the game with an RBI single to center before Scerra drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the go-ahead run and give the Bearcats a 2-1 edge.
LaPointe was excellent over seven complete innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out six to improve to 5-2 on the year. In the fifth,
Jayden Dixon reached on a Baruch error, advanced to second, and stole third to move within 90 feet of tying the game, but LaPointe induced a groundout to end the threat. In the sixth, Suero singled and stole second, but again the Bearcats escaped. In the seventh, Dixon tripled to right field to put the tying run 90 feet away, but LaPointe finished the game with a strikeout to secure the win.
Gangwish led the offense, finishing 1-for-3 with a run scored, a walk, and a triple. Dixon also tripled and stole a base, while Suero went 1-for-3 with the team's lone RBI and a stolen base.
Morrissey took the tough-luck loss despite allowing just two earned runs over 5.2 innings with three strikeouts.
Michael Sgobbo recorded the final out in relief.
For Baruch, Benedetto went 2-for-2 with a run scored, Marino drove in the tying run, and Scerra reached base three times with the go-ahead RBI.
Game 2 – John Jay 1, Baruch 4
The second game followed a similar script, with John Jay scoring first before Baruch answered with timely extra-base hits. After both teams were scoreless through two innings, the Bloodhounds broke through in the top of the third.
Gangwish singled to left and quickly stole both second and third base. Sanchez then walked and stole second, while
Mark Piri worked a walk to keep the pressure on. A wild pitch allowed Gangwish to score from third, giving John Jay a 1-0 advantage.
Roy Longarzo and Peter Marino opened the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles before both runners advanced into scoring position on a double steal. Sam Steinman then delivered a two-run double to center field, plating both runners and putting the Bearcats ahead 2-1. The Bearcats added insurance in the fourth.
Kenneth Pastrana singled and stole second before Matthew Rappa followed with a single. After a strong defensive play at the plate prevented an immediate run, Nicholas Benedetto drew a walk to keep the inning alive. Longarzo then ripped a two-run triple into the left-center gap to score Rappa and Benedetto, extending the lead to 4-1. Baruch starter Benjamin Norwood controlled the game from there, tossing six innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits with seven strikeouts and five walks to improve to 6-1.
John Jay threatened again in the sixth when
Hayden Tackett reached on an error and
Jayden Dixon followed with a single to put two aboard.
Matthew Apostolou later stole second after reaching on a fielder's choice, but Norwood escaped the jam.
In the seventh, Sanchez singled and advanced to third on a passed ball and wild pitch, but reliever John Kim closed the door with the final out to earn his first save. Gangwish again paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Sanchez added a hit, two walks, and a stolen base, while Horodyski and Dixon also contributed hits.
Danny Opramolla took the loss after allowing four earned runs over four innings.
Michael Sgobbo turned in another strong relief appearance, throwing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and no hits allowed.
Longarzo led the Bearcats offensively in game two, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBI and a triple, while Steinman added two RBI on his key double. Marino also scored once and added a hit.
The Bloodhounds conclude the 2026 regular on Saturday, May 2 as they host Lehman at Houlihan Park on the campus of Fordham University. Saturday is Senior Day as the baseball team will recognize their seniors.
First-pitch is set for noon.
