Top-Seeded Baseball Drops Skyline Championship Opener

Patchogue, NY| The top-seeded St. Joseph's University (L.I.) baseball team dropped a 12-10 decision to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the first game of the 2022 Skyline Conference Championship tournament on Friday afternoon.

The hosts will face the loser of Game 4 between second-seeded Farmingdale State and third-seeded College of Mount St. Vincent on Friday evening. USMMA advances in the winners bracket to play Game 4's winner on Saturday afternoon.

SJLI went ahead in the first when Phil Krpata (2-for-6) advanced home on an error by the USMMA right fielder (1-0).

USMMA tied the game in the top of the second and then opened up a five-run lead (6-1) in the third. 

Brian Forbes (1-for-4) brought one back for the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the third (6-2) when his sac fly scored Paul Gugliuzzo (1-for-3), but the Mariners responded with two more runs in the fourth to go ahead 8-2. 

After John Thatcher (2-for-3) brought a run back for SJLI in the sixth, the Golden Eagles exploded for five runs in the seventh to tie the game at eight. Forbes opened the inning's scoring with a two-run homer to left field and Krpata's RBI single through the right side tied the game.

In the eighth, Hermes Abreu (1-for-3) gave St. Joseph's the lead (9-8) with a sac fly that scored Ryan Decoursey (2-for-6)) and John Lynch (0-for-4) doubled the lead (10-8) later in the inning when he scored on a wild pitch. 

USMMA went back ahead in the top of the ninth when Joey Zanetti hit a three-run homer (11-1), and Jared Chambers added an insurance marker with an RBI triple (12-10).

Charles Aurandt started for SJLI and allowed four earned runs in 2.0 innings of work. Jack Kelly (1-1) took the loss.