Baseball Ends Florida Trip with a Split

Auburndale, FL| The St. Joseph's College baseball team wrapped up play at the RussMatt Invitational Tournament with a split against Oswego State Saturday morning. The Golden Eagles pulled out a 2-1 win in game one before dropping game two 12-6.

The Golden Eagles move to 3-6 on the season and the Lakers now sit at 3-2.

Game One

The Lakers lone run came in the top of the first when Brandon Nicholson worked a walk to start the game and came into score a couple batters later on a wild pitch.

After a quiet second inning, the Golden Eagles took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Back-to-back fielding errors started the inning putting Tyler Sanderson and Tyler Costa on with no outs. Tyler Crafa worked a walk to load the bases for Anthony Raucci who sent a fly ball out to right deep enough to allow Sanderson to score. Crafa got picked off for the second out of the inning, but Matthew Burnett singled up the middle to plate Costa to put the Golden Eagles ahead.

SJC starter Nick Clemente settled in and held the Lakers scoreless until giving way to Anthony Papa in the seventh who pitched around three walks to preserve the 2-1 win.

Burnett, Costa, and Paul Britt recorded St. Joseph's three hits in the game.

Clemente earned the win allowing one run on three hits in six innings of work. Papa got his second save of the season with a scoreless seventh.

Reston Petit was tagged with the loss allowing two unearned runs on three hits in a complete game effort.

Game Two

The Golden Eagles jumped to an early lead putting up three runs in the first two innings. Britt doubled in Dylan Piscitelli in the top of the first and a pair of unearned runs in the second moved the score to 3-0.

A walk and a pair of extra-base hits produced three runs for the Lakers in the bottom of the third knotting the score at three. Oswego took the lead, 7-3, with a four-run fourth highlighted by a 2 RBI double by Kevin Hylas.

After a scoreless fifth, the Golden Eagles inched to within two, 7-5, in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Louis Fontinha singled in Jesse Nakashian who singled earlier in the inning. Sanderson followed suit with a single of his own bringing home Fontinha.

The bottom of the sixth featured three RBI triples for the Lakers to widen the gap to 12-5. SJC added in a run in the seventh but ultimately fell 12-6.

Sanderson finished 3 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored with Piscitelli adding two hits.

SJC sent six pitchers to the mound with Elliot Robles getting the loss allowing four runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning.

Oswego's Brian Nolan got the win allowing five runs, one earned, in 5.2 innings of work.

The Golden Eagles return home on Wednesday, March 14 when they host John Jay College. First pitch is set for 4:00 pm.