The College of Staten Island saw a quick end to its ECAC Metro NY/NJ Metro Tournament postseason run, as the No. 3 seeded Dolphins dropped a 5-1 decision at the hands of No. 6 Richard Stockton College as part of quarterfinal play at the CSI Baseball Complex earlier this evening. The loss dips the Dolphins down to a season-ending 31-11 mark, while the Ospreys improved to 20-19, and will take on No. 7 Rutgers-Camden in semifinal play Saturday.
The tough loss for CSI came after the Dolphins opened a 1-0 lead in the game’s first inning. Off of Stockton starter Bryan Frank, the Dolphins started the first inning with Devon DiCasoli getting on via a walk and Thomas DeWaters earning on due to a catcher’s interference. CSI starting pitcher Pat Gale then helped his own cause, stroking a single to right field, plating DiCasoli for the early tally. Unfortunately, the Dolphins would leave runners at second and third base to end the inning, and wouldn’t strand another until the game’s fifth inning.
By then, the Ospreys would open up a 3-1 lead catapulted by a trio of runs in the game’s fourth inning. Still off of Gale, a Mike Wasco double to the gap in left-centerfield plated two runs, and the sophomore would then come around to score via Joe Farrell’s suicide squeeze play, giving the visitors the 3-1 cushion.
Frank continued to settle for the Ospreys, getting out of a pair of two-baserunner jams in the fifth and six frames. Meanwhile, RSC added another single tally in the seventh on a perfectly executed double-steal. While Chris Discher stole second in a first-and-third situation, Nick Scalise took off from third, and the throw home was not in time, giving the visitors 4-1 edge.
The hole became deeper for the Dolphins when a Matt Allen RBI-single plated Discher in the top of the ninth inning to make it 5-1.
After a sterling eight innings by Frank, RSC’s John Lightbody came in to pitch the ninth inning, and after giving up back-to-back singles to Sal Todaro and Mark Glennerster, the junior hurler forced a Tom DiPietro infield fly and a Steve Hession fly out to right field to end yet another threat, preserving the win.
Frank earned the win, tossing eight innings, allowing a single run on three hits, walking four and fanning the same. Gale suffered the loss, tossing eight innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits, striking out seven. Wasco finished 2-for-4 at the dish with three RBI.
The loss essentially will end CSI’s season with a 31-11 record. An at-large bid into the national NCAA Division III Tournament is not out of the question, however, and the Dolphins will hold out hope for the continuation of their season when the NCAA announces its field on Sunday evening.
As for Richard Stockton, they will move on to play No. 7 Rutgers-Camden, an 8-4 winner over No. 2 Rutgers-Newark earlier in the afternoon. In the other quarterfinal games, No. 4 Stevens Tech defeated No. 5 Old Westbury, 6-5, while top-seeded FDU-Florham tagged No. 8 Ramapo, 13-11. Those two teams will also square off in semifinal play.