Selden, New York - The BMCC baseball team was defeated by NJCAA No. 14 nationally ranked Suffolk County Community College on Tuesday afternoon, 24-11, in Region 15 action. The Panthers dropped to 2-14 (2-14 Region XV), while the Sharks improved to 20-12 (10-3 Region XV) with the victory.
The Panthers posted two season-highs with 11 runs scored and 10 RBIs on the afternoon while registering double-digit hits for the second consecutive game. Eight different players recorded a hit in the contest, with freshmen Wiljer Casana (Miami, Florida) and Michael Marra (Staten Island, NY) leading the way with two hits apiece. Classmate Nassaiah Flores (Bronx, NY), Marra, and Casana posted multi-RBI games, with Flores and Marra driving in a team-high three runs each while Casana drove in two.
Casana recorded his team-leading sixth multi-hit performance of the season and team-best second two double game this season. The Miami, Florida native leads BMCC with six doubles on the season, which is also tied for third-most in a single season and seventh all-time in program history. Marra recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the season.
Flores posted his team-high fifth multi-RBI game this season and second three-RBI performance, which is also a team-best. Flores has driven in a run in seven of his 15 appearances this season and has five RBIs in his last two games. Flores currently leads the Panthers with 14 RBIs, which is tied for seventh most in a single season.
Sophomore Peter Marino (New York, New York) led the Panthers with a team-high five putouts defensively.
Freshman Joseph Estrella (Bronx, New York) got the nod for BMCC but did not make it through the first inning of his second start of the season, just facing seven batters total, allowing five runs (four earned) on two hits with two walks. Classmate Rene Perez (Brooklyn, NY) stepped in for him and took the loss going 2.1 innings, allowing eight runs (six allowed) on one hit with nine walks and two strikeouts. Sophomore Conall Moore (New York, New York) pitched the final three innings, giving up 11 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits with three walks and a strikeout.
Dominic LaFroscia picked up his second victory of the season for the Sharks, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing five runs (all earned) on six hits while striking out a game-high eight batters and walking four.
Suffolk Community College got out to a fast start after starter Michael Gerardi retired three of the first four batters he faced in the top of the first, dropping five runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 5-0. Lucas Quinlan ripped an RBI single to open the scoring, then Ryan Sitler came through with two outs for a two-run single to stretch the advantage to 3-0. Dominick Viggiano and Sitler would score on the same wild pitch, giving Suffolk a 5-0 lead going into the top of the second.
BMCC responded with six runs in the top of the second to grab the lead 6-5. After the Panthers drew three straight walks to load up the bases with no outs, sophomore Jeffrey Roldan (New York, New York) came through with an RBI single to cut the deficit four, 5-1, and reach base for a season-best 11th straight time this year. After freshman Jariel Irizarry (New York, NY) struck out looking, Marino connected for an RBI single to cut the Shark lead to three, 5-2, then Flores and Casana smacked back-to-back two-run doubles to put BMCC in front 6-5. Casana tried to get 90 feet away from home but was thrown out by Joseph Palminteri to end the top of the second inning, with the Panthers leading 6-5.
Suffolk exploded for 15 runs over the next three innings, grabbing three in the bottom of the second inning as Perez walked in the tying run and Lucas Quinlan put the Sharks ahead for good with an RBI single and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-6 after two innings. Suffolk scored three of their five runs in the bottom of the third on three wild pitches, a passed ball, and Quinlan's RBI sacrifice fly to make it 13-6 going into the top of the fourth.
The Sharks scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. Viggiano scored when Joseph Streng grounded into a fielder's choice, and LaFroscia uncorked a two-run double to make it 16-6 before Quinlan knocked an RBI single to make it 17-6. Fabian Oviedo's two-run triple and Joseph Lomonaco's RBI on a groundout put the advantage to 20-6 after four innings of play.
The Panthers were able to grab five of the final nine runs highlighted by four runs in the top of the sixth inning. Irizarry led off with a bunt single, then BMCC drew three straight walks with two from Marino and freshman Jose Miguel De Jesus Lebron (Santo Domingo, D.R.) and the third from Flores scoring a run. After Casana struck out, Marra blasted a two-run single to left field, cutting the lead to 22-10. Flores scored when Isaiah Jerry (Brooklyn, NY) reached on an error for the final Panther run of the game as the Sharks cruised to a 24-11 victory.
BMCC will look to bounce back against NJCAA Division III No. 14 ranked Suffolk County Community College in Region 15 action this Friday, April 19, at 4 p.m. in Selden, New York. For more information, please visit the BMCC Baseball Schedule Page.
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