Selden, New York - The BMCC baseball team was swept in a Region 15 doubleheader against NJCAA Division III No. 14 nationally ranked Suffolk Community College, 19-5 and 11-1, on Sunday afternoon at home. The Sharks improved to 26-16 (16-4 Region XV), while the Panthers dropped to 2-18 (2-18 Region XV).
Game 1 - Suffolk Community College 19, Borough of Manhattan 5
The Panthers were no-hit for the first time since the 2022 season despite posting five runs in game one. Sophomore Peter Marino (New York, New York) and freshman Nassaiah Flores (Bronx, NY) both led BMCC with a team-best tied two runs scored, and fellow underclassman Wiljer Casana (Miami, Florida) had a sacrifice fly RBI.
Marino and freshman Jose Miguel De Jesus Lebron (Santo Domingo, D.R.) had one steal apiece. Marino tied for fifth in program history with Josh Smith in career steals with 24, and his team-leading 16 steals are tied for sixth most in a single season with Jayson De Los Santos.
De Jesus Lebron also registered a career-best five putouts defensively to lead the Panthers.
Dominic LaFroscia pitched a gem for the Sharks, putting up a no-hitter going five innings, striking out 10 batters while allowing five runs (all five earned) with seven walks.
Freshman Michael Marra (Staten Island, NY) took the loss in his first start of the season. Marra threw 107 pitches and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing 12 runs (all earned) on seven hits, seven walks, and a strikeout.
Suffolk Community College scored one run in the top of the first. The Panthers responded to get to LaFroscia early in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs to take a 2-1 lead going into the top of the second. Marino drew a leadoff walk and, after stealing second, scored on an error by Kevin Jeran to tie it at one. Flores and Marra would draw walks, and then Flores scored on a wild pitch to give BMCC the lead 2-1.
The Sharks would pull away with 18 straight runs, scoring two in the top of the second and third and four and 10 tallies in the top of the fifth to lead 19-2 going into the bottom of the inning. Dominick Viggiano scored on a fielders choice in the top of the second to tie it at two, then Jeran scored on a passed ball to give the Sharks a 3-2 in the top of the second, then Joseph Lomonaco ripped a two-run double to extend the lead to 5-2 in top of the third. William Winter and LaFroscia extended the lead to 7-2 in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly RBI, and LaFroscia scored on a wild pitch.
Lomonaco uncorked an RBI triple, and Jeran was walked in to increase the margin to 9-2 after four innings of play. After the Sharks led 19-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers got three runs in the inning. BMCC loaded the bases up as Marino was hit by a pitch, DeJesus Lebron and Flores walked, and Casana brought Marino home on a Sacrifice fly RBI to make it 19-3. DeJesus Lebron and Flores scored when sophomore Jeffrey Roldan (New York, New York) reached on an error to get the score to 19-5, but the Sharks closed it out from there, taking game one 19-5.
Game 2 - Suffolk Community College 11, Borough of Manhattan 1
The Sharks exploded for seven runs in the top of the fifth to pull away from the Panthers in a pitchers dual in game two for an 11-1 victory.
Sophomore Jeffrey Roldan (New York, New York) and Christian Sidriyen (Higuey, D.R.) recorded BMCC's only two hits while sophomore Peter Rodriguez Reyes (Bronx, New York) scored the Panther's lone run on a wild pitch. Freshman Nassaiah Flores (Bronx, NY) and Rodriguez-Reyes both stole a run for the Panthers.
Sophomore Peter Marino (New York, New York) and Roldan both led the Panthers on defense with a team-high three putouts each.
Starters Dioscar Cuello and Roldan got off to a strong start on the mound, holding both lineups scoreless in the first two innings. After allowing a leadoff walk, Roldan got a flyout and a double play to keep it scoreless going into the bottom of the first inning. Cuello retired the Panthers to keep the ledger at zero going into the top of the second.
Roldan retired Cuello in the leadoff spot in the top of the second inning on a fly out to centerfield before allowing a walk to Joseph Lomonaco and a single to Ryan Sitler with one out. Roldan got out of the inning, getting Joseph Palminteri to ground into a double play to keep it scoreless, with the Panthers coming up to bat in the bottom of the second.
Sidriyen and Roldan grabbed the Panthers' only two hits of the game in the bottom of the second inning with two outs. Rene Perez (Brooklyn, NY) struck out swinging to end the inning, keeping the game scoreless.
The Sharks opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the third courtesy of Dominic LaFroscia, who ripped an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. The Panthers cut the deficit to one, 2-1, as Rodriguez-Reyes scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded. Sidriyen could add to the lead as he grounded out to Cuello to keep it a one-run BMCC lead going into the top of the third inning.
The Sharks scored nine straight runs to run away with the game, scoring two in the top of the fourth when Dominick Viggiano scored on a wild pitch and William Winter connected for an RBI single and seven in the top of the fifth. Lomonaco and Viggiano grabbed RBIs on a double and single, then Ryan Sitler scored when LaFroscia was hit by a pitch to make it 7-1. Viggiano and Ediberto Tavarez scored when Lucas Quinlan grounded into a fielders choice to make it 10-1, and Quinlan scored later on a wild pitch to make it 11-1, which would hold as the final score, giving Suffolk Community College the series sweep.
Cuello picked up his first win of the season, going four innings and allowing one run (earned) on two hits with six strikeouts and three walks while retiring six straight batters of the 18 he faced. Roldan faced 28 batters and took the loss, allowing 10 runs on six hits with eight walks and two strikeouts.
BMCC will look to bounce back against Nassau Community College on the road in Region 15 play this Tuesday, April 30, at 4 p.m. at Mitchel Athletic Complex. For more information, please visit the BMCC Baseball Schedule Page.
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The athletic program at Borough of Manhattan Community College encompasses a total of 13 varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For the latest news on the Panthers, please visit us at https://bmccathletics.com - the official site of BMCC Athletics. Also, become a follower of the Panthers on Instagram (@bmcc_athletics) and Twitter (@BMCCAthletics), and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (BMCC Athletics).
