The College of Staten Island men’s baseball team took home a big non-conference victory at the CSI Baseball Complex this afternoon, getting by William Paterson University by a 5-4 count. The win, the 13th in their last 15 tries for the Dolphins, improved the team to 19-7 overall, while the visiting Pioneers fell to 13-11.
After two scoreless frames pitched by CSI starter Pat Gale, William Paterson got on the board first against reliever Joe Jacobson, who pitched innings three and four. A James Gregory sac fly did the honors, plating Matt Norton, who led the inning off with a single. Jacobson worked out of a first-and-third situation to stop the bleeding there.
That was enough to see the Dolphins get back and take the lead in their half of the third. Off of Paterson starter James Young, Steve Hession started things off with a single, and came all the way around to score after the next at-bat, when Devon DiCasoli reached base on Young’s throwing error to first base on his sac bunt attempt. With two out and DiCasoli at third, a passed ball then allowed DiCasoli to score to inflict damage as CSI took the 2-1 lead.
The Dolphins never trailed again, but the Pioneers did get even, using an unearned run in the fourth the knot it up at 2-2.
CSI, however, made up for the blemish, using a three run fifth inning, paced by a pair of hits and three Pioneers errors to take a 5-2 lead. Hession scored the first run after leading off the inning with a single, coming in off of two errors on plays to get DiCasoli and Henry Roman out at first base. Young then got CSI slugger Pat Gale to hit into a double play, but it scored DiCasoli, making it 4-2. It was then Tom DiPietro’s turn at the dish, and the senior laced a towering blast over the wall in left center for a solo homer to cap CSI’s scoring for the day.
Nursing the lead, CSI used a committee to preserve the lead. Jeff Pontebbi tossed two scoreless innings for CSI, before Anthony Collucci did the same in the seventh inning. Reliever Tom Matson wasn’t so fortunate, only registering one out in the eighth before being pulled in favor of Chris D’Antuono. D’Antuono allowed an RBI-single to Norton (charged to Matson) before escaping a second-and-third situation with one out.
More dramatics ensued in the ninth inning, when Paterson plated another run. A Mike Linskey single scored Miguel Lugo, but with the tying run now at first base with two out, D’Antuono got Andrue Laguerre to make the final out on a long fly ball to left field.
Pontebbi (2-0) got the win for CSI as the pitcher of record, while D’Antuono picked up the save, his third. Young took the loss for William Paterson. Sal Todaro had the most successful day at the plate, going 3-for-4, while Steve Hession went 2-for 4 with a pair of runs scored.
CSI returns to action tomorrow to face St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn for a pair of non-conference games beginning at 4pm.