Game 1: Farmingdale State - 5, St. Joseph's-Long Island - 1
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 7, St. Joseph's-Long Island - 2
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State baseball team swept Skyline Conference-leading St. Joseph's University-Long Island in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Eagles entered the day with a 9-1 mark in conference play, but the Rams held them to just three total runs on the day to secure the pair of victories.
Prior to the doubleheader, Farmingdale State and St. Joseph's-Long Island hosted their annual Mental Health Awareness Game. Both teams stood united while wearing special "Break The Stigma" shirts to help raise awareness about the importance of mental health.
The Rams (11-9, 4-4 Skyline) struck first in the third inning of game one as senior left fielder
Mike Kocovic (Mahopac, N.Y.) reached on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior second baseman
Ryan Wasserman (New Hyde Park, N.Y.), and scored on an RBI double from senior right fielder
Richie Heyder (Holbrook, N.Y.).
SJLI (13-15, 9-3 Skyline) responded in the fourth as they put runners on first and third with none out and scored on an RBI single to knot the game at 1-1.
Farmingdale State regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore shortstop
Kaolis Delacruz (Levittown, N.Y.) hit a double and scored on a pinch-hit single from freshman
John Francisco (Smithtown, N.Y.). Later in the inning, following a single by Wasserman, Heyder hit a twoering 3-run home run over the right field fence to go ahead 5-1.
The Rams held the four-run advantage into the seventh, and after the Golden Eagles put runners on first and second to start the inning, senior pitcher
Derek Watts (Baldwin, N.Y. - Sv, 2, 1.0 IP, 1 SO) produced a strike out and a double play to pick up the save and secure the 5-1 victory.
Heyder led the way with two hits, the home run, four runs batted in and one run scored. Delacruz tallied two hits, including a double, while Wasserman and Francisco had one hit apiece.
Senior pitcher
TJ Cox (Mineola, N.Y. - W, 3-0, 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 SO) earned the win for FSC, allowing just one run in six innings of work.
The Rams broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning of game two as sophomore left fielder
Mike D'Angelo (Mineola, N.Y.) hit a bases-clearing double to give FSC a 3-0 edge. After a single by Wasserman, Heyder registered an RBI double and senior first baseman
Dom LaFroscia (Sayville, N.Y.) followed with an RBI ground out to give the Rams a 5-0 lead.
St. Joe's was still down by five in the eighth inning and cut their deficit to 6-2 on a triple. FSC quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning as Kocovic recorded a two-out, RBI double to go up 7-2.
Watts again entered to pitch the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning as the Rams went on for the 7-2 victory.
Heyder added a double and two more RBI's in game two, while Wasserman registered three hits and two runs scored. LaFroscia had two hits, an RBI and a walk and Delacruz finished 2-for-4 with a walk and one run scored.
Senior pitcher
Christian Pellegrino (Carle Place, N.Y. - W, 2-1, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 5 SO) started and allowed just one run in six innings to earn the victory. Freshman
James Minutillo (Medford, N.Y. - 2.0 IP, 2 SO) fired two innings in relief with two strike outs before Watts finished the game.
The Rams are right back at it tomorrow, Sunday, April 19th when they travel to the United States Merchant Marine Academy for a Skyline doubleheader now starting at 4:00 p.m.
