Bronx, New York - The BMCC baseball team split their CUNYAC road doubleheader against Bronx Community College, winning the first game 9-4 and having their seven-run sixth-inning rally fall short during a 9-7 loss in the second game on Saturday afternoon at Ohio Field. The Panthers are now 2-6 (2-4 CUNYAC), while the Broncos improved to 4-9 (2-5 CUNYAC) with the win.
Game 1 - Borough of Manhattan 9, Bronx Community College 4
It was deja vu for sophomore Peter Marino (New York, New York), who was the story of the another weekend CUNYAC doubleheader, dominating the mound in his second appearance of the season, posting another complete game victory, tossing a career-high 10 strikeouts while allowing nine hits and four runs over seven innings while walking two batters. Marino, who uncorked a career-best 116 pitches in game one, put up the program's first double-digit strikeout effort since the 2018 season when Steven Crawford struck out 12 batters during a 15-5 victory over Monroe-Bronx on April 24, 2018.
The Panthers also registered season-bests in walks (10), runs (9), RBIs (9), steals (4), and doubles (4).
BMCC had six players with an RBI and three with two RBIs in game one. Freshmen Nassaiah Flores (Bronx, NY) and Jose Miguel De Jesus Lebron (Santo Domingo, D.R.) joined Marino with two runs driven in. Three of the Panthers nine RBIs on the afternoon came with two outs.
Underclassmen Michael Marra (Staten Island, NY), Jariel Irizarry (New York, NY), and Wiljer Casana (Miami, Florida) also had an RBI in the first matchup. Casana extended his hitting streak to a team-high tied and season-high four games with his first multi-hit game of the season and a team-best two doubles. DeJesus Lebron also had his first multi-hit game of the season.
Flores and Irizarry had their first doubles the year, and Marino had a single.
Marino, Casana, and DeJesus Lebron all led the Panthers with two steals in the first game, while Christian Sidriyen (Higuey, D.R.), Peter Rodriguez Reyes (Bronx, New York), and Irizarry had one.
Marra was a beast in the field, registering a career-best 12 putouts and throwing out two runners, which was also a career-high.
The Panthers grabbed two runs in the top of the first inning utilizing back-to-back walks from Marino and Jeffrey Roldan (New York, New York) to get two aboard with no outs. Marino posted a game and season-high four walks at the leadoff spot in game one and was brought across home plate with Roldan when Flores ripped a two-out double to right field to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Casana grounded out to second despite battling during a five-pitch at-bat, keeping it 2-0 going into the bottom of the inning.
Marino struck out Frailin Jimenez in the leadoff spot to start the bottom of the first before giving up two straight hits. Steve Santos doubled and Brayan Rubio singled to left field before Yadiel Santos drove them in on a one-out double to center field to knot the game up at two. Marino would not be shaken, striking out the next two batters and three of the six he faced in the inning to keep the game tied at two going into the top of the second.
Marino would fan four of the next eight batters to keep the Broncos scoreless in the bottom of the second and third to keep it tied at two before the Panthers could add two runs in the top of the fourth to go back in front 4-2. Casana reached on an error, Rodriguez-Reyes was walked, and DeJesus Lebron was hit by a pitch to load up the bases with one out.
Marino wasted no time connecting for a two-run single on the third pitch of the at-bat to put BMCC up 4-2 going into the bottom of the inning. After allowing a double and a walk to open the bottom of the fourth, Marino got some help from Marra, who threw out Cristhian Gonzales at second and then struck out Bryant Taylor and Euniel De La Rosa to end the inning with the Panthers still leading 4-2.
BMCC pulled away in the top of the fifth with three more runs to lead 7-2 and never looked back. Sidriyen led off the inning with one of his two walks in game one before Casana uncorked an RBI double to right field, scoring him to make it 5-2. Irizarry swung on the first pitch he saw right after blasting a line drive double to center field to score Casana and make it 6-2. DeJesus Lebron connected for an RBI single on the second pitch he saw to bring Irizarry home and extend the Panther lead to 7-2 going into the bottom of the fifth.
The Broncos got two in the bottom of the fifth to get within three, 7-4, on a Santos RBI single, and when he stole home before, the Panthers responded for the kill shot with two runs in the top of the inning to make it 9-4. DeJesus Lebron reached on an error, grabbing his second RBI of the day, and then Marra walked in to make it 9-4. Marino closed the door in the bottom of the seventh retiring three straight batters after allowing a leadoff single to complete the 9-4 victory for BMCC in game one.
Wilber Batista took the loss for the Broncos, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits with nine strikeouts and six walks.
Game 2 - Borough of Manhattan 8, Bronx Community College 9
BMCC's furious seven-run top of the sixth rally erased a 6-0 deficit to give them a 7-6 lead, but the Panthers couldn't complete the comeback as Bronx Community College put a stop to it, scoring three of the last four runs to avoid the sweep with a 9-7 victory.
The Panthers fell in game two despite uncorking a season-high 12 hits, with four different players registering multi-hit games. Freshmen Wiljer Casana (Miami, Florida) and Jose Miguel De Jesus Lebron (Santo Domingo, D.R.) both recorded their second straight multi-hit games, with Casana extending his hitting streak to a team-best five games. Classmate Nassaiah Flores (Bronx, NY) posted his first multi-hit game of the season and his team-leading second triple, while sophomore Peter Marino (New York, New York) registered his multi-hit game performance. Four other Panthers recorded a hit in the game as well, with Freshmen Michael Marra (Staten Island, NY), Christian Sidriyen (Higuey, D.R.), Isaiah Jerry (Brooklyn, NY), and sophomore Adonis Suarez (Queens, New York) all connecting for one in the game.
Sidriyen posted his team-leading tied second multi-RBI game with a two-run single in the top of the sixth. Five other BMCC hitters had an RBI in the contest, with Casana, Flores, Roldan, DeJesus Lebron, Suarez, and Jerry having one each.
The Panthers also surpassed a new season-high, registering 12 walks in the second game of the doubleheader.
After falling behind 6-0, Jeffrey Roldan (New York, New York) pitched strong out of the bullpen in three innings of work despite taking the loss. Roldan equaled a career-best with five strikeouts, allowing four runs on two hits and walking five. Suarez started for the Panthers going three innings allowing five runs (four earned) on three hits while walking four and striking out three.
The Panthers bats woke up in the top of the sixth to post seven runs to erase a 6-0 deficit and get a 7-6 lead going into the bottom of the inning. DeJesus Lebron and Suarez connected for back-to-back singles before Jerry ripped an RBI single to get the Panthers on the board, making it 6-1. Casana's sacrifice fly made it 6-2, then Sidriyen unloaded a two-run single to get the deficit down to two, 6-4. Flores walked, and Roldan picked up an RBI when Marra was walked in to make it 6-5. Then DeJesus Lebron cracked an RBI single to center field to tie it at six, then Suarez grounded out to the pitcher, scoring Flores to give the Panthers the lead for the first time, 7-6 going into the bottom of the sixth.
Roldan was able to retire two of the first three batters he faced at the bottom of the sixth after giving up a lead-off single to Brayan Rubio. Cristhian Gonzales battled during a five pitch at bat then made contact on the sixth pitch and was able to reach on an error by DeJesus Lebron to even it up at seven. After Raul Chevalier reached on a dropped third strike, Brayant Taylor ripped a two-run double to left field to put the Broncos back in the lead 9-7 with the Panthers down to their last licks in the top of the seventh.
Casana worked a lead-off walk after a seven-pitch at-bat, and Sidriyen reached on an error to put two aboard with one out. Sidriyen was thrown out trying to steal second, but Flores would get BMCC within one, 9-8, with an RBI triple to left field, scoring Casana. With the tying run 90 feet away, Roldan worked a four-pitch at-bat but flew out to the Frailin Jimenez to end the game and give Bronx Community College 9-8.
Yadiel Santos picked up his first win of the season, surrendering one run on one hit with a strikeout. Joel Salcedo pitched four scoreless innings, allowing five hits and walking four while striking out two.
The Panthers will return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 7, in a Region 15 doubleheader against Monroe-Bronx at Padavan-Preller Complex at noon and 3 p.m. For more information, please visit the BMCC Baseball Schedule Page.
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