The College of Staten Island men's baseball team took a positive first step to the 2008 CUNYAC Postseason Championship Tournament, turning back the No. 4 seeded Lehman College Lightning, 9-5, in a single nine-inning affair earlier this evening at the CSI Baseball Complex. The Dolphins (19-18 overall) snapped a three-game skid in the process, while Lehman saw their modest two-game win streak snapped, dropping the Lightning to 18-15 overall.
The game saw plenty of action from the get-go, as both teams exchanged runs in the game's first inning. Lehman got on the board first, touching CSI starter Pat Gale for a single run. Jhonny Reyes led off the inning with a single, and Luis Alicea followed with another basehit to left field. After registering a pair of outs, Gale then got in trouble, walking the bases-loaded and then another walk to Matthew Arvelo scored Reyes, giving Lehman the 1-0 edge.
The lead didn't last long, as the Dolphins registered five big runs in their half of the first frame. CSI's first four batters notched hits, as Andrew Baio brought in Anthony Piccirillo to start the damage. Another RBI by Pat Gale plated Mohamed Hamad, and Ray Valerio then followed with an RBI-triple, one of two on the day for the senior. A Lehman error in the field plated CSI's final run, and after one inning, CSI led 5-1.
