Flemington, NJ - The John Jay College baseball team held a late lead, but a five-run seventh inning by CCNY proved to be the difference as the Bloodhounds fell, 9-6, in CUNYAC action on Thursday afternoon at Diamond Nation Field #3.
With the setback, John Jay moves to 1-34 overall and 0-10 in conference play, while CCNY improves to 15-16 and 8-2 in the CUNYAC.
CCNY struck first in the opening frame, capitalizing on an early opportunity as Gerard Molinaro delivered an RBI single to bring home the game's first run. The Bloodhounds answered immediately in the bottom half, as
Jaxen Gangwish and
Alex Daly opened the inning with back-to-back singles before
Jose Suero tied the contest with a sacrifice fly to left.
John Jay took its first lead of the afternoon in the second inning without recording a hit. After working a pair of walks and advancing runners via wild pitches,
Matthew Apostolou drove in a run on a groundout to give the Bloodhounds a 2-1 advantage.
The score remained unchanged until the fifth inning when Molinaro came through again for CCNY, lining an RBI single to even the game at 2-2. The Beavers carried that momentum into the sixth, plating two runs on an RBI single from Demetri Zirogiannis and a sacrifice fly by Molinaro to take a 4-2 lead.
John Jay responded with its biggest inning of the day in the bottom of the sixth.
Jose Suero sparked the rally with a base hit before
Mark Piri was hit by a pitch, and
Hayden Tackett followed with a single to load the bases.
James Horodyski delivered in the clutch with a two-run double to tie the game, and
Jayden Dixon followed with a two-run single up the middle to give the Bloodhounds a 6-4 lead.
CCNY answered in decisive fashion in the top of the seventh. After drawing a pair of walks, Jason Roser tied the game with a two-run ground-rule double. John Spallin followed with an RBI double to give the Beavers the lead, and Zirogiannis added insurance with a two-run home run to left field, extending the advantage to 9-6.
The Bloodhounds mounted a late threat in the bottom half, loading the bases with two outs, but CCNY reliever Manuel Martinez recorded the final out to secure the save.
Gangwish and Daly paced the John Jay offense with two hits apiece, while Horodyski drove in two runs and scored twice. Dixon also added a pair of RBIs in the sixth-inning rally, and Suero chipped in an RBI.
For CCNY, Molinaro finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Zirogiannis went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Spallin scored three runs and added a pair of hits, and Roser contributed two RBIs in the seventh-inning comeback.
Craig Zuckerman provided two scoreless innings of relief of
Michael Luongo, who earned the start and opened the game with two innings of work.
Julio Reyes (0-6) was charged with the loss. Colton Bausenwein (2-0) earned the win in relief for CCNY, and Martinez recorded his first save of the season.
The Bloodhounds close out the 2026 regular season on Saturday morning as they will host Lehman College at Houlihan Park at Jack Coffey Field on the campus of Fordham University.
First pitch is slated for 11:00 a.m. Saturday is also Senior Day as the Bloodhounds will recognize their 2026 Senior Class. The ceremony will take place at the conclusion of game one.
